So we've reached the final month of 2009. December is one of the most intense sports months: basketball season heats up, the NFL season comes even closer to the playoffs, hockey season gets closer to the midway point, and most of all, college football bowl games get underway. This weekend, the 2009-2010 bowl schedule was released. The BCS National Championship game will feature Alabama and Texas, the SEC and Big 12 champions, respectively. The other BCS matchups are Georgia Tech and Iowa in the Orange Bowl, TCU and Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, Florida and Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl and Oregon and Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. All of the BCS games should be exciting, but here are a few non-BCS games that you should watch:
14 Miami (FL) vs. 24 Wisconsin - Champs Sports Bowl
I think this will be a great game. Thes two teams will play on December 29th in Orlando, Florida, so it may bit a bit of home field advantage for the 'Canes. The U went 9-3 this year and 5-3 in the ACC, and they finished strong on the offensive side, scoring over 30 points in all four of their November games. On the other side, the Badgers have had a very solid under-the-radar year, finishing at 9-3 as well and 5-3 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin won their first 5 games of the season and finished off the year winning four of their last five. Sophomore running back John Clay put up fantastic numbers this year, racking up 1,396 yards and 16 touchdowns and Wisconsin led the Big Ten in total yards and scoring. This game is going to come down to the offensive lines. Jacory Harris had 17 interceptions this year and 23 touchdowns, so he had a fairly inconsistent sophomore season overall. If he can play well, I think the Hurricanes win, but they need to protect him.
11 Penn State vs. 13 LSU - Capitol One Bowl
Another strong matchup. This game has the highest ranked non-BCS teams. PSU and LSU play on New Year's Day in Orlando, and this is a Big Ten-SEC matchup I like a lot. Penn State won every road game this season and by an average of 23 points per game, so they can play away from home. They score 28 points or more in 9 of their 10 wins, and they lead the Big Ten in PPG allowed with 11.8. LSU on the other hand lost two of their last four, and one of the wins was in overtime. I like Penn State in this matchup: Daryll Clark leads the Big Ten in passer rating, and they have a very well balanced team. I think Jordan Jefferson is going to struggle against this PSU defense. If they barely beat a decent Arkansas team, I don't see them beating a very strong Penn State team.
22 Arizona vs. 20 Nebraska - Holiday Bowl
Nebraska and Arizona were two team that were not expected to have strong seasons, but they proved many wrong. Nebraska finished 9-4 and won the Big 12 North while putting up an incredible fight against Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. On the other side of the country, the Wildcats finished 8-4 and are coming off of a huge win against USC, their first win against the Trojans this century. Three of Nebraska's four losses have been by a total of four points, while Arizona hasn't lost by more than ten points this year. You get the picture - this is a very underrated matchup between two teams that have quietly crept their way towards the top of their conferences. I think that if the Cornhuskers can play well on offense then they will win the ballgame. Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is so good that he is the first defensive Heisman Trophy Finalist since Charles Woodson in 1997. With 9 sacks against one of the teams in the National Championship Game and 4.5 of them coming from Suh, the Nebraska defense should be able to get the job done.
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