Bronco Chase's Bowl Picks, 7th Edition

Now that's more like it! As you already know, I started off this bowl season going about .500. That was before I reeled off and took home the "W" in 13 of the last 14 match ups. I had won eleven in a row before LSU snapped my streak much like Boise State did to Utah. All good things must come to an end. The most important and impressive thing is that I am 4-0 in BCS games.

Anyway, I come to you today with a heavy heart, reminiscing of days past. As soon as I click "Publish Post" today, I am done with actual games to write about on my blog. The season will be over. But do not fret my friends, Leon Rice has the Bronco mens basketball team cooking up something special in Taco Bell Arena. Let us go over the recap of my last batch of picks, and then I will unveil the winner of the National Championship game tonight.

Discover Orange Bowl
My prediction was Stanford wins 24 to 21
Final score: Cardinal 40, Hokies 12






AllState Sugar Bowl
My prediction was Ohio State wins 31 to 24
Final score: Buckeyes 31, Razorbacks 26






GoDaddy.com Bowl
My prediction was Miami (OH) wins 28 to 24
Final score: Redhawks 35, Blue Raiders 21






AT&T Cotton Bowl
My prediction was Texas A & M wins 24 to 21
Final score: Tigers 41, Aggies 24






BBVA Compass Bowl
My prediction was Pittsburgh wins 31 to 21
Final score: Panthers 27, Wildcats 10






Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
My prediction was Nevada wins 28 to 21
Final score: Wolfpack 20, Eagles 13






Batch total: 5-1
Bowl totals: 22-12
Season total: 87-29
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As a reminder: if the word "prediction" has stars, then it is an upset. It will look like this:

*Prediction*:

Also, I have analyzed some of the games with a write up, but not all of them. I wrote on all the bowls were WAC teams are involved and the BCS Bowls. The others just have when, where, the bowl name, who's playing, and a score prediction. Finally, I am including these bowls in my season long record.

January 10th at 6:30 PM
Tostitos BCS National Championship Game
Glendale, Arizona

(12-0, 9-0 Pac 10)
vs.

(13-0, 8-0 SEC)




Line: Auburn favored by 3
This one is for all the marbles. Two of the most prolific offenses in the history of the NCAA and two of the worst defenses ever will face off with the National Title on the line. Cam Newton, is fresh off of buying, er winning the Heisman and is playing extremely well. Oregon is led by perma-lisped, and convicted criminal running back LaMichael James. The Tigers score an average of 42.7 point per game and the Ducks put up 49.3. Defensively, Oregon gives up 18.4 and Auburn allows 24.5. On paper, this looks like a fairly easy win for the Ducks. However, Oregon’s schedule has been JV compared to what Auburn has had to go through. Cal showed the world how to beat the Ducks. It involves an athletic, powerful defensive line that can get pressure on quarterback Darron Thomas and limit James in his yards per carry. Fortunately for the Tigers, they have just that, led by the man-yetti known as Nick Fairley.

It’s too bad we couldn’t see one of these great offenses versus a great defense in TCU or Boise State. Instead we will see a fast paced, high scoring affair in which many people will wish that there was a way for both teams to lose, blow up, die, or cease to exist in some crazy way. If you can’t tell, I don’t like either of these teams. If Auburn wins, Newton will feel even more entitled than he already does and it will teach our children that cheating, lying, and being dishonest pays off as long as you are a freak athlete and can will a team to win all by yourself. Also, we’ll have to hear for another year how amazing the SEC is. That fire will be fueled for a long time. If the Ducks win, we’ll have to sit here and hear it from their ridiculous, cocky, blow-hard fans about how awesome the Ducks are. Eugene will finally be known for something else besides being the place where “Animal House” was filmed. I don’t know if I want to live in a world where Oregon fan has free reign to talk as much junk as they will if their team wins. They easily forget that this is basically the same squad that lost to Boise State two years in a row, and it is basically the same Bronco team that beat/destroyed them.

In other words, the college football landscape will either be populated with SEC elitists, jumping on their soap boxes, throwing their Bibles to the side, brandishing their red necks and farmer tans in their overalls, and through missing teeth and gingivitis infected gums proclaim the flawed gospel that is football in the South. “We live, breathe, eat, and dream this stuff year round! Nobody can stop us!” Only to make things worse, Mark May will have a fit of pleasure in his pants just as he has the last 4 years when other SEC teams have won it all. I just can’t take his seeing ugly, elitist face on my TV screen building up that conference any more than he already has. Or we will see hemp bracelet-wearing, lucha libre mask-donning, unfounded cockiness-weilding Duck honk tooting his own horn and in the most condescending way imaginable talk smack to any other team that even looks at them, all in between lengthy bong hits and making the “O” with their hands (that looks strangely similar to another sign that symbolizes a part of the female anatomy…). It will be like the d-bag boyfriend who picks fights with another dude for thinking about looking at his girl. That is Oregon in a nutshell. This is the world we live in and unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. So here’s to hoping that a sniper perches himself in the rafters or press box of University of Phoenix Stadium and does us all a favor.

Anyway, the game will be high scoring. I think Auburn’s defense is better than it shows on paper and what was seen against some pretty good offenses in the regular season. Nick Fairley owns LaMichael James for most of the game. The lesser of two evils here is Oregon, I guess. I will be reluctantly rooting for the Ducks in Glendale tonight. I still do not like their chances. The main reason for my decision is my complete and utter loathing for all things SEC and Mark May related. I don't know if it will be this close.
Prediction: Tigers 45, Ducks 38

Bowl totals: 22-12
Season total: 87-29

Well there we have it. Make sure you are tuned into ESPN tonight to catch this one. It should be a high-scoring affair. Sit back and relax. But make sure you check back in tomorrow to get my take on the whole shebang.

The Sugar Bowl Wasn't all that Sweet

Don't get me wrong, it was a great game to watch, filled with pendulum-like momentum changes, sorrow, heartbreak, joy, anxiety, cocky, privileged athletes, and of course a sweater vest. I had absolutely no problem with what happened on the field last night in New Orleans. It was the off-field shenanigans and hypocrisy that I am upset about. Let's go back to the beginning, Quentin Tarantino-like, and set the stage for my grievance(s).

In June 2010, the NCAA lowered the boom on the University of Southern California for "lack of institutional control" stemming from the Reggie Bush improper benefit saga. You all know the story; the Trojans were penalized big time for their egregious infraction. They were banned from post season play for 2 years, gave up 30 scholarships, and had to forfeit their 2004 National Championship. Bush voluntarily forfeited his Heisman Trophy so as to prevent the huge mess and headache that would ensue if the trust were to try and take it from him. A precedent was set.

We all thought the governing college sports body was setting an example. Yet here we are two-plus years later and the NCAA is allowing players and schools to get away with murder. Cam Newton played the "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" card and let his dad take the fall for a pay-to-play scheme. I cannot stand to see that huge grin on Newton's smug face, knowing that there was an obvious violation from his camp and yet he is still allowed to play. I have already stated my case for the utter ridiculousness of the situation, so there is no need to rehash it here. The point is there was a huge loophole that was found through the Cam and Cecil Newton case that shouldn't have been there in the first place. All of the sudden the serious, sheriff-like, punishment-dealing NCAA that ate USC's lunch became the soft, docile, lenient person who wants to be cool with their friends and therefore gives them what they want, even at their own expense. The NCAA ruled that because Cameron was not aware of the transgressions of his father, then he was not in violation and therefore was allowed to play (even though initially they ruled him ineligible). Think about it this way-Any cash or sustenance that his dad received would directly benefit Cameron, i.e. purchasing needed school supplies, books, food, clothes, helping pay rent, spending money, and/or transportation. Therefore, they are improper benefits, regardless of who is directly receiving them.

Next came tattoo gate. Five of Ohio State's top players were getting free or cheap tattoos in exchange for autographs and memorabilia. Not just that, but quarterback Terrelle Pryor and a few others had sold their Big 10 championship rings and some gold pants (that they receive for beating Michigan). Read all about it here. Remember, Georgia's star wide receiver A.J. Green was suspended for the first four games of this season for selling a game-worn jersey. Here's where things get tricky. To stay consistent, the NCAA suspended Pryor, Dan Herron, DeVier Posey, Mike Adams, and Solomon Thomas for five games. Great. The problem is they were still allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl last night. In other words, the suspension was suspended until the beginning of the season next year. What? There were obvious violations that these Buckeyes were involved in and yet they were still allowed to play in the biggest game of the season? Asinine. The reasoning behind the delay in suspension is "the acknowledgment the student-athletes did not receive adequate rules education during the time period the violations occurred." Right...

Here's the deal-Had the Buckeyes not been in a BCS Bowl and had Auburn not been in contention for the National Championship, the NCAA would have dropped the hammer on both of those teams much like they did the USC Trojans in 2008. There is a clear double standard here. Kevin Lennon, the NCAA's vice president of academic and membership affairs, has no problem penalizing players and teams for violations that took place a long time ago, when those players are no longer at the university in question. But if it's a current situation where him and his college governing entity are at risk of losing money, they go easy or delay the consequences. Everything is done in a way that will benefit them and their cash-cow sport. That is what has me so upset.

I know that had Arkansas won last night, they would have wanted to do it against a prepared and full strength Ohio State team. The Razorbacks would have rolled easily if their opponent had been missing those 5 key players. Then the NCAA would have had another Fiesta or Orange Bowl snoozer on hand with a lopsided score and the audience tuning out by halftime. There go the ratings. The NCAA can't afford that, nor did they want to even risk it. The game was very entertaining and for that I am happy, but knowing the sketchy NCAA-allowed condition of some of the players involved taints the overall feeling and joy of such a contest. I don't have an answer for this, but how do the Arkansas players feel about it? If the anti-playoff BCS system is already robbing fans of a true college football championship experience, then the NCAA and their double standards are polluting the best part of the sport. The only thing that we have left to call our own are those glorious fall and winter Saturdays, sitting on the edge of our seats, living and dying by the on-field, in-game successes and failures of our favorite team, letting the amateur kids decide the winner, all for the love of the game. I don't know about you, but I have no desire to let the NCAA take that away from us.

Kellen Moore=Heisman Finalist

Was there ever any doubt? I would say no. Especially since he has improved himself and his game extensively since he has come to Boise State. Seriously, it amazes me how good he is. This is a great article about Kellen by obnug's Kevan Lee. I implore you to read it.

Think about his first year, a former two-star recruit leading Boise State into Autzen Stadium, manhandling the Ducks (I hate the Ducks, by the way), going undefeated, and coming so close to beating TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl. He finished with a passer rating of 157.11.

He followed that up with another undefeated regular season, cut his interception total down from 10 down to 3, and avenged the loss to TCU by beating them on a much larger stage in the Fiesta Bowl. His passer rating improved to 161.65. I didn't think that there was any way that he could get better. I was wrong yet again.

Flash forward to the now, Kellen's junior year. He has already shattered the record books for Boise State, and he still has another year in front of him (unless you are Jesse Palmer or Mark May, of course). How does 33 touchdowns to 5 interceptions sound? He has also added another dimension to his game - the quarterback scramble. Sure, it isn't "Cam Newton" pretty, but it gets the job done. Beyond that, he is able to squirm out of would-be sacks game after game and either fire a rocket to Austin Pettis or run down the sideline for 10 yards and a first down. Amazing. At the end of the regular season his passer rating was a staggering 185.04, second only to Cam Newton.

Here are Moore's stats for his career;
97 touchdowns, 18 interceptions (10 came his freshman year), 10,528 yards, sacked 23 times (13 his freshman year), 167.93 passer rating, and a 37-2 record as a starter. That is unbelievable in every definition of the word. But think about this, Kellen is only 6 feet tall and was lightly recruited. He only had offers from Eastern Washington, Idaho, and Boise State. There are quite a few schools in the West that are now kicking themselves repeatedly for missing out on him. Their loss is obviously our gain. I contend, and correct me if you think I am wrong, that there has never been a smarter, more prepared, or more disciplined quarterback to ever play college football. There won't ever be again, either.

But there is more. Each Heisman Trophy candidate/winner has to have something more besides numbers. The Heisman Trust statement says, "The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity." Integrity, huh? That should disqualify Scam Newton and LaMichael James right off the bat. I don't want to go into detail about either, but you can google plenty of information about both of them.

Anyway, Kellen has more than proved his integrity and excellence both on and off the field. He will graduate next week (it took him just over three years to complete his bachelor's degree) with a communications degree and will stay in school to get his masters. He is also an academic all-American athlete, second team. That's not too shabby.

Think about this as well - Kellen Moore is a dying breed. In a world where a quarterback has to be a dual threat to have success, Moore has excelled in being a pure pocket passer. The only other quarterback in the nation that is even close to that is Andrew Luck. But even then there is plenty of video of Luck running down the field, trucking defenders as he goes. He is more NFL-ready and capable than Moore is, according to the "experts." No, Kellen is in a class of his own. Defensive backs are keyed in on stopping the pass, especially the long ball. Without a running threat taking snaps, they only have to worry about one thing. Yet, Moore always finds a receiver down field that he can get the ball to, even if the receiving window is the approximately the same size as a Big Gulp Slurpee from 7-Eleven. Kellen can fit it in there. How can he just sit back there, picking defenses apart? Aren't quarterbacks supposed to be able to challenge a defense in multiple ways, creating plays, opportunities, and openings with his sheer athletic ability and prowess? Kellen does not. Yet he still dissects defenses with precision and intelligence. It's remarkable.

So let me get this straight. He isn't a prototypical NFL height, weight, and pedigree quarterback (Andrew Luck, Matt Ryan). He's not your super-big, super-fast, dual-threat, freak of an athlete (Cam Newton, Terrelle Pryor, Tryod Taylor). He is his own thing. That alone is his special, intangible something that sets him as unique and qualifies him for winning the trophy. In a college football landscape where defenses, mis-perceived "lack of competition" reigns, and an ever-changing idea of what a quarterback is supposed to be are stacked against him, Kellen Moore defies all odds and rises above and beyond. Will there ever be another player like Moore to grace college football with his presence? The clear and obvious answer is a resounding "no." Kellen is unique. He is one of a kind. He is one in a million. He is every other cliché that you can think of. He is just a regular guy, Someone once said that if you didn't know who Kellen Moore was, you'd think he was the guy that comes over to help you fix your computer. Better yet,

Kellen is Kellen, Dork Assassin, the (reluctant) cool, calm, and collected leader of an amateur athlete rebellion, shattering the mold that recruit rankings, college football elitists, BCS conference schools, NFL scouts, and no-good, dribbling doubters and haters have forced upon the game itself and us as fans of it.

Cam Newton Ruled Eligible to Play...What?

Word has officially come down from the NCAA that Auburn quarterback Cam Newton is an eligible amateur athlete and can compete for the 1st-ranked Tigers in the SEC Championship game and whatever bowl game they end up playing in. That is good news for Auburn, and even better news for the SEC, which is always looking to maintain their "we are better than everyone else, especially non-AQ teams" egotistical, self-glossed, media-hyped reputation. During the whole period of allegations against and investigation of Newton and his father, I withheld judgment and decided to wait for the NCAA to complete what they were doing. I am fine with their recent decision and I would have been as well had it gone the other way for Cam. With that said, not all is well in the land of college football. Read the Idaho Statesman's story on it here, and I will go ahead and highlight a few parts that I have found to be a little fishy.

From the second paragraph we read:

"The NCAA released its finding in a statement on Wednesday. The college sports governing body had concluded on Monday that a violation of Newton's amateur status had occurred. Auburn quietly declared Newton ineligible on Tuesday and requested his eligibility be reinstated."

Continuing:

"Newton now has been cleared to compete without conditions, after weeks of questions about whether he would be allowed to continue playing."

Wait what? So he's ruled ineligible, Auburn requests it to be reinstated, and 3 seconds later the NCAA says "OK, sounds good. He can play." Just like that, huh? I don't understand. Here is more:

"The NCAA said Auburn and NCAA enforcement staff agreed that Newton's father and an owner of a scouting service worked together to on a pay-for-play scam."

They are aware that this had happened but yet he is still allowed to play?! Sounds pretty absurd to me. Here is the explanation given from Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president for academic and membership affairs:

"Based on the information available to the reinstatement staff at this time, we do not have sufficient evidence that Cam Newton or anyone from Auburn was aware of this activity, which led to his reinstatement."

Then why even rule him ineligible in the first place? I am flabbergasted! Regardless if he is innocent or not, the NCAA screwed up big time, discrediting themselves as well as college football (even more than it already is with the BCS in place). The NCAA makes obscene amounts of money from the SEC and even more when teams from that conference go to BCS Bowl games. They made sure that was going to continue. Here's the part that kills me, if Auburn wasn't a National Title contender then the hammer would have been dropped big time on Newton. Guaranteed. The conspiracy theorists (you know, the guys who wear tin foil on their heads so that satellite beams can't penetrate their brains and read their thoughts) will chalk it up to an elaborate hoax to keep TCU out of the National Championships. I don't want to take it that far, but the NCAA's decision will keep their own pockets full and maintain the system how it currently is; corrupt.

I'm confused as well Cam.

I wish the best of luck to Cam Newton and his Auburn Tigers against South Carolina this Saturday and then against Oregon in the NC Game (especially against Oregon). While you are out there torching defenses with your powerful arm and quick legs, just know that you have contributed to the defamation of something that we as fans hold dear, something that didn't need any more blemishes on its already mangled reputation.