OKTC's Bowl Preview: Part Two

Kellen Moore won fifty games as a starter -- a record that will never be equaled unless college football teams start playing 16 games a year -- but did he outkick his coverage with wife Julie? I'll leave that for you guys to decide. If you think he did Facebook wall message below and we'll decide whether he merits an entry in to the Outkick the Coverage hall of fame alongside Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill. We'll make this decision sometime after the first of the year.  

While most of y'all are already drinking the spiked eggnog, the 3HL radio show is a go this evening and we actually have a special Christmas guest in studio. It really will warm your heart. And I'm not even making that up.

In the meantime, here is Zach Bingham's bowl preview to get you ready for the next several games.

(And another picture of Kellen Moore's wife Julie so you don't have to squint so much.)

Not going to lie, I think I've got go with yes. This is a solid 55 yarder from Moore, who looks a bit like the 16 year old who is going to deliver your pizza on the day of the national title game. Meanwhile, Julie looks a bit like the hot but accessible lab partner you had in college biology.

Never have dissecting rats been more romantic.

By Zach Bingham

Welcome back to the OKTCs Bowl Season Preview Series. This is where we take you through all of the bowl games and give you some info on teams that you haven't watched all year long but are betting cold hard cash to win. With thirty more match ups to go, there is still time to delay refinancing your mortgage and win some money.

Here we go.

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl - Arizona State (6-6) vs #7 Boise State (11-1)
Thursday December 22nd at 7pm CT on ESPN
Line: Boise State -14

Boise State has the advantage in offensive and defensive attributes but Arizona State has the advantage in their abundance of hot chicks and warm weather.

The Arizona State football program is in a state of disarray after losing their final four games of the season and firing head coach Dennis Erickson. Starting the year 5-1, the Sun Devils looked like a team that could vie for a Pac12 championship but suddenly the wheels fell off somewhere late in the season. (6-7) UCLA, (4-8) Washington State, and (4-8) Arizona all beat the Sun Devils to conclude the 2011 regular season who now face a one loss Boise State team that is seventh in the country. Quarterback Brock Osweiler is the bright spot for Arizona State and the Sun Devils only chance to pull off the upset. With over 3,500 yards through the air and twenty-four touchdowns, Osweiler is not afraid to toss the rock. Eleventh in the nation in passing and averaging thirty-nine pass attempts per game, the Sun Devils look to attack Boise State's secondary early and often. This will no doubt be a high scoring affair.

Biggest Win: (10-2) Southern Cal
Worst Loss: (4-8) Washington State

Side Note: I might commit to ASU based on this photo alone.

Boise State does not want to be in the Las Vegas Bowl whatsoever. The Broncos had hoped to be in the conversation and in contention for the national championship. Their hopes and dreams were shattered by a TCU team that edged the Bronco's out 36-35 after Boise's kicker missed a last second field at the end of regulation. Boise State should feel disrespected to be paired against a sub par .500 Arizona State team and in a bowl played before Christmas. This should be no contest for a dominating Broncos team who is seventh in the nation in points (43.3) and tenth in points allowed (18.3). Senior quarterback Kellen Moore hasn't had the hype compared to years past but still threw forty-one touchdowns and for over 3,500 for the fourth straight year. The Boise State quarterback, who has more wins than any other college football player in NCAA history, will finish his career with most critics questioning the level of competition played and facing Arizona State in this bowl game doesn't help his cause. The Broncos should win in a landslide. Next stop for Boise State, the Big East.

Biggest Win: (10-3) #16 Georgia
Only Loss: (10-2) #18 TCU

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl - Nevada (7-5) vs #21 Southern Miss (11-2)
Saturday December 24th at 7pm CT on ESPN
Line: Southern Miss -6 1/2

Nevada is a team of uncertainty entering Saturday's bowl game. With two different quarterbacks getting a considerable amount of playing time this season and a defense that gives up 25.3 points per game, the Wolf Pack will try to control the clock and run the football. Running back Lampford Mark has had his troubles coming off of a torn ACL last season and a case of mononucleosis to begin the year, but finished the year strong with five consecutive games rushing over one hundred yards. Nevada is eighth in the nation when it comes to rushing the football, averaging 251.8 yards per game on the ground. Another threat is wide receiver Rishard Matthews. Mathews has over a thousand yards receiving, eight touchdowns, and has recorded two 200+ yard games this year. The Wolf Pack are looking for Southern Miss to have a let down game after the Golden Eagles won their conference championship two Saturdays ago.

Biggest Win: (6-7) Hawaii
Worst Loss: (5-7) Texas Tech

Now is the chance to get in a solid Brett Farve reference because I know the Southern Miss alum would want me to.

Biggest Win: (12-1) #19 Houston
Worst Loss: (3-9) UAB

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl - Missouri (7-5) vs North Carolina (7-5)
Monday December 26th at 4pm CT on ESPN2
Line: Missouri -5

SEC fans get a chance to check out their new competition in this bowl game. Just ask SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.

This will be Missouri's last game as a member of the Big 12 conference and just so happens they will play it in the southeast. Traveling to Shreveport, Louisiana, the Tigers look to cap their season off with a fourth straight win. Mizzou has a very balanced attack on the offensive side of the ball but rely more on the running game than they have in previous years due to their quarterback James Franklin's duel threat ability. Franklin, a sophomore, has over 2,700 yard passing and over 800 rushing yards on the year. Eleventh in the country in rushing, Missouri uses Franklin and running back Henry Josey's services to move down field at a rapid pace. Averaging 32.2 points per game, the Tigers will attack the Tar Heels defense on the outside. When Missouri has lost, they have lost to good teams. Four out of their five losses have been to #14 Oklahoma, #8 Kansas State, #3 Oklahoma State, and #12 Baylor.

Biggest Win: (7-5) #24 Texas
Worst Loss: (6-6) Arizona State

Lots of change is on the way to the North Carolina football program. With former head coach Butch Davis's departure a month before the season, interim head coach Everett Withers stepped in leading the Tar Heels to a seven win season. Eleven players from the 2010 North Carolina class were drafted into the NFL last year (that's Miami and Ohio State kind of numbers). New starting quarterback Bryn Renner replaced, now Houston Texans starter, T.J. Yates. Renner tossed in twenty-three touchdowns with twelve interceptions this year, honing in on his favorite receiver, Dwight Jones. UNC's problem this season was that they couldn't seem to beat teams in their own conference. 3-5 in a year where the ACC is down, doesn't bread much hope going into this bowl game. Where Mizzou has held there own against superior competition, the Tar Heels have folded.

Biggest Win: (7-5) Louisville
Worst Loss: (6-6) Miami

Little Caesars Bowl - Western Michigan (7-5) vs Purdue (6-6)
Tuesday December 27th at 3:30pm CT on ESPN
Line: Purdue -2 1/2

I'm going to have to be riding a horse and drinking multiple Boilermakers to have interest in this game but here goes nothing.

Two names to watch for Western Michigan are quarterback Alex Carder and wide receiver Jordan White. This combination will rack up a considerable amount of yards for the Broncos. Carder has no fear to throw the ball around the yard. Tabbing over 3,000 yards passing for the second year in a row, Carder not only throws the ball down the field but has a 67.3 completion percentage this season. Most of his passes wind up into the hands of his favorite target Jordan White. One reason the Broncos are eighth in the nation in passing is because of White and his 1,600 receiving yards to go along with his sixteen touchdowns. Three and four point losses to Toledo and Eastern Michigan changed the Broncos season late in the year but a bowl win against Purdue will be a nice holiday gift.

Biggest Win: (6-6) Ball State
Worst Loss: (6-6) Eastern Michigan

Purdue just snuck into a bowl after an up and down year in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers inched out a victory over a 1-11 Indiana team in their season finally to become bowl eligible. Though they did play better competition compared to Western Michigan, Purdue is not a very efficient team. 69th in points scored and 65th in points allowed, the Boilermakers struggle to execute on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Caleb TerBush is only averaging around six yards per throw and doesn't take many big risks down the field but chooses to opt for his check down receivers. A win against Central Michigan will be tough and will be Purdue's first bowl game victory since 2007.

Biggest Win: (6-6) Ohio State
Worst Loss: (4-8) Rice

 
Belk Bowl - Louisville (7-5) vs NC State (7-5)
Tuesday December 27th at 7pm CT on ESPN
Line: NC State -2

Both of these teams have had upset games in their season. Both have also had let down games as well. Who will show up?

Louisville relies heavily on their defense to push them through close games. The Cardinals are a team that doesn't score many points but counters their offensive flaws with a stellar defense. Fourteenth in the country when it comes to points allowed, the Cardinals went 5-2 in Big East play, only falling to a solid Cincinnati team and Pitt. Louisville's biggest win came late in the year as they inched out a victory against #23 West Virginia 38-35 on the road in Morgantown. Riding the coattails of a young freshman quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville's passing game has been dismal, to say the least, and their running game is 94th in the nation. For the Cardinals to win, they will need their young talent to step up. Ten different freshmen are set to start next Tuesday.

Biggest Win: (9-3) #23 West Virginia
Worst Loss: (6-6) Pitt

NC State did a nice job this year replacing quarterback Russell Wilson, who transferred to Wisconsin prior to the start of the season. Senior Mike Glennon took over, throwing for 2,700 yards and twenty-eight touchdowns to lead the Wolf Pack to seven wins. Glennon is coming off his best performance of the year, throwing five touchdown passes against Maryland in the season finale. Besides Glennon, NC State's star comes from the defensive side of the ball in cornerback David Amerson. Amerson leads the NCAA in interceptions with eleven, which helped him capture the Jack Tatum Award, received by the top defensive back in the country. Losing three out of their first five games, NC State won five of their next seven including taking down eventual ACC champion #15 Clemson. Both teams are reliant on defense, so look for a low scoring affair between Louisville and NC State in the - there is nothing else to do so I guess I'll watch the Belk Bowl.

That's all for Part 2 of the OKTCs Bowl Season Preview. Be back next week, as we delve into some better match ups as the bowl season rolls on. Merry Christmas and good luck on your bets.