Let's Try Again

So I didn't fare so well today. It happens. GaTech didn't show up, and despite my gut feeling, I picked Oregon just to be different. It was more of a spite pick against Oklahoma for depriving Auburn of its shot at the national title. Oh well. I've decided to enjoy bowl season a bit more, and since I don't believe anyone is actually reading this, my analyses are going to become completely non-factual and more opinionated. Of course, I watch a lot of football and know more than the average person about most teams, so my opinion will at least be somewhat educated. There are tons of games coming up, and I simply don't have the patience on my vacation time to treat each of them with equal consideration. Slacking off from law school is completely different than slacking off from my vacation time. Let's be honest here. So here we go.

Music City Bowl

Minnesota v. Virginia. I haven't seen Minnesota do much against any good teams. Luckily, they are playing Virginia. Virginia, like GaTech, cannot decide if it's good or not. Minnesota likes to run the ball to compensate for the fact that they cannot throw it. Virginia, meanwhile, doesn't care how the ball gets down the field, as long as it happens. Minnesota also believes that defense is when you put the scout team on the field to make a few tackles and let your running back rest. I like this strategy. Primarily out of spite for Virginia's beating of a downtrodden Auburn team nearly a decade ago 19-0 in the opener, I pick Minnesota. Minnesota 34 - Virginia 21.

Sun Bowl

Northwestern vs. UCLA. Northwestern has fallen off the face of the earth after threatening to make some noise in the Big Ten. Across the country, UCLA has fallen back into obscurity after convincing some people (obviously not poll voters) that they really were good. Never trust a Bruin. I don't know about you, but this game would seem much more interesting to me if it were played in mid-October instead of now. As it is, I'll watch it just for the shoot-out. These teams don't even recruit defenders. I swear some of UCLA's "linemen" are made of cardboard...but that's just a theory. Northwestern 42 - UCLA 34.

Independence Bowl

South Carolina vs. Missouri. This is Steve Spurrier's first bowl game since returning to the college ranks and Brad Smith's last as Missouri's QB. Mizzou has had an up and down year, and Smith has played well at times, but on the whole, Missouri just isn't that good. Then there are the Gamecocks. Yeah, Spurrier's great and all, but is it humanly possible to generate any more hype for South Carolina? Pretty soon, these guys are going to think they may actually win the SEC East. I'd like to note that both Auburn and Alabama absolutely blasted the Gamecocks. But anyways. I think Missouri sucks and couldn't put together four quarters of football to save its life. If there's one thing that South Carolina is, it's motivated...and well-coached...okay, so two things. These two factors equal confidence, and confidence will allow Spurrier to scrape out another close victory over an athletically superior team. South Carolina 27 - Missouri 24.

Peach Bowl

LSU vs. Miami. Don't even get me started on LSU. (see previous articles) They didn't get the shaft by ending up in Atlanta; they got lucky. LSU is overrated in about a billion ways, but they are still a solid team, especially defensively. With JaMarcus Russell, it was possible for LSU to beat Miami, though unlikely. Without Russell, LSU is dead in the water. Unless Miami comes out completely flat, (a la UNC game), the Hurricanes should be able to have their way with the LSU offense. Miami's pass defense is ridiculously good, and LSU QB Matt Flynn will learn this quickly. LSU's defense is not too shabby either, which will create problems for a young and injury-depleted Hurricane offense. This one should be a low-scoring, defensive struggle with special teams (particularly kick returns) playing a big role. However, without Russell, I believe LSU's offense is absolutely crippled. LSU 10 - Miami 20.