College Bowl Game Previews- Part Two

By Matt Smith

With Navy and Utah kicking off very shortly to start Bowl Season, here are the second wave of breakdowns.

Motor City Bowl- Purdue (7-5) vs. Central Michigan (8-5), Dec. 26: When Purdue was busy sprinting to a 5-0 start, a 45-22 victory over Central Michigan was part of the hot start. Since then, the Boilermakers have gone 2-5 while CMU has gone 7-3 and their recent run has led to Butch Jones emerging as a top candidate for the West Virginia job. Two things have changed since that first matchup: Purdue is without receiver Selwyn Young who was dismissed from the team and Central Michigan has started to run the ball much better, which is the achilles heel of the Purdue defense. Chippewas quarterback Dan LeFevour ran for over 1,000 yards and they should have starting running back Justin Hoskins back. But, even without Young, Curtis Painter is still a dangerous quarterback with some good receivers and backs. There are a couple of questions that surround this bowl: will Purdue be able to stop the run and will Jones still be the coach when it starts? Purdue will move the ball, but can they stop someone?
Predictions:
Matt- Purdue
Ben- Purdue
Mike- Central Michigan

Holiday Bowl- Arizona State (10-2) vs. Texas (9-3), Dec. 27: Arizona can easily be expected to go two ways, and that is they will play very well or very poorly after being the biggest snub for a BCS Bowl outside of Missouri. The Devils seemed to fit perfectly in the Fiesta Bowl, especially considering their losses were to two top ten teams. With big name quarterbacks, Rudy Carpentar for Arizonsa State and Colt McCoy for Texas, expect this game to come down to the running game. Jamaal Charles has really emerged as a threat on the ground especially after Mack Brown realized that McCoy is not good enough to rely on. The Sun Devils line is an anomoly; horrible at pass blocking but great at run blocking. They average 315 pounds, but apparently prefer forward blocking to blocking while retreating. Ryan Torain will still be out, but Arizona State is loaded at the running back position and Keegan Herring and Dimitri Nance should combine to have a big day.
Predictions:
Matt- Arizona State
Ben- Texas
Mike- Texas

Champs Sports Bowl- Boston College (10-3) vs. Michigan State (7-5), Dec. 28: This game should be the story of one quarterback trying to win the game for his team and the other trying not to lose it. BC's Matt Ryan should have to carry his team while Sparties Brian Hoyer should be asked to manage the game. MSU should continue to hand the ball to its version of thunder and lightning in Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick, but the Spartans might not be smart enough to do that. They are going to remember a BC team that looked vulverable against Sean Glennon, but with cornberback DeJuan Tribble returning, they get a whole lot better. The Sparties would be smart to pound it. The Eagles would be smart to dance with who brought them and leave it to the right arm of Matty Ice. He has played poorly at times (like against VT) and he has a bit of a gunslinger's attitude, but he has made more plays to help win thatn the other way around. In what should be a contrast in style will likely turn into an aerial battle.
Predictions:
Matt- Boston College
Ben- Boston College
Mike- Boston College

Texas Bowl- TCU (7-5) vs. Houston (8-4). Dec. 28: When I think of Houston, I think of it throwing the ball all over the field, but they have relied more on running back Anthony Alridge than they have freshman quarterback Case Keenum. TCU has a pretty strong run defense, so Keenum's ability to stay composed and make decisions could be put to the test. The Horned Frogs have an incosistent offense that also relies heavily on the running game, so expect these two teams to try and establish dominance on the ground, early and often. Whichever team can control the ground game and the line of scrimmage early will likely take control of the game, forcing the other team's quarterback to beat them. Keenum nor TCU's Andy Dalton seem to have the ability to do that.
Predictions:
Matt- Houston
Ben- TCU
Mike- TCU

Emerald Bowl- Maryland (6-6) vs. Oregon State (8-4), Dec. 28: Both teams love to run the ball, and they dread relying on their quarterbacks. The Terrapins have two very good running backs in Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball who have combined for 25 touchdowns. The Terps quarterback....not so much. Chris Turner has thrown just five TDs to go with five picks. The Beavers should have their stud back return in Yvenson Bernard, who missed the Oregon game after a minor knee surgery. Oregon State, which has really been on a roll since beating then No. 2 Cal, will have to decide which quarterback to go with; Sean Canfield who is returning from a shoulder injury or Lyle Moevao. Really, it doesn't matter because neither one is particularly amazing. Forgive me if I sound like broken record, but these again are two teams that want to establish the run. Look for who does so to take a step in the right direction towards leaving San Francisco with a win.
Predictions:
Matt- Oregon State
Ben- Oregon State
Mike- Oregon State