<span style='color:darkblue'>Pete Fiutak</span>

Q: Put them on the chopping block: Predict the matchups for the four BCS games.

A: Rose Bowl, Jan. 4, 2006 – USC vs. LSU
I'm more sold on LSU than I am on USC, but it's impossible not to pick Matt Leinart and the boys to make the short trip to Pasadena. If I had any stones, I'd stick with my preseason belief that USC will lose at either Oregon, Arizona State or Cal after all the turnover in the Trojan coaching staff and with some of the off-season personnel losses. However, I'm a little shaken since I picked Oklahoma to win the Orange Bowl the last time I went with my gut. I'd like to pick Miami to face LSU, but I can't pull the trigger.

If the Tiger quarterback situation works itself out, the Rose Bowl could be the 2003 plus-one national title game that everyone wanted. The LSU road certainly isn't easy facing Arizona State, Tennessee, Florida and Auburn along with the SEC title game (if all goes well). Fortunately for the Tigers, all the big boys have to play in Baton Rouge. It's not disrespecting USC in any way to suggest that LSU has even more pro prospects and is the more talented team, but it doesn't have No. 11 throwing the ball. If these two powerhouses play, it'll be the most speed ever assembled on one college football field.

Orange Bowl, Jan. 3, 2006 – Miami vs. Louisville
Don't count out Pittsburgh or West Virginia from the Big East or Virginia Tech from the ACC. I'm picking the Cardinals to get into the BCS since they have a more favorable conference schedule than the Panthers, while I still don't quite believe the Hokies can repeat last year's magic. The Mountaineers have the toughest Big East games at home and will be a good sleeper pick. Miami has to go to Florida State and Virginia Tech and will have to deal with a conference title game, but I love this year's Hurricane team.

Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2, 2006 – Ohio State vs. Purdue
I'll make the call: Purdue will be like Auburn of last year and won't play for the national title after going unbeaten. With no Ohio State or Michigan on the schedule and Iowa coming to West Lafayette, the schedule works out for the loaded, experienced Boilermakers. O.K., so the college football gods won't be kind enough to offer us a true Big Ten championship with the Ohio State/Michigan winner facing an Purdue, but I can dream.

Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 2, 2006 – Oklahoma vs. California
Oklahoma will be dismissed by everyone after the Orange Bowl performance, but this is still a team loaded with talent, while Texas still has to prove it can get over the Red River Rivalry hump. The Sooners, even if they beat Texas, won't go unbeaten with a possible loss at Texas Tech, but they can still win the Big XII title. California's schedule is a flat out joke with only three games worth paying attention to: at UCLA, at Oregon and at USC. The Bears are going to reload with even more talent than it had last year and win two out of the tough three before getting the BCS sympathy vote.

<span style='color:darkblue'>Richard Cirminiello</span>

Q: Put them on the chopping block: Predict the matchups for the four BCS games.

A: Rose Bowl, Jan. 4, 2006 – USC v. Florida – The Trojans are more vulnerable than I thought they’d be a few months ago, but they’re still the class of the upcoming season and favorites to win a third straight crown. Coaching changes and especially defensive depth could be stumbling blocks, but any team hoping to upset the champs better pray for a soaking rainstorm or be prepared to hang at least 40 on them. The identity of the nation’s No. 2 team will be the biggest story of 2005. A good case can be made for a dozen quality programs, and the separation between those 12 teams is nominal. Yeah, I’ve taken a few sips from Urban Meyer’s Kool Aid recipe, but his track record for getting the most out of his talent in short time is unprecedented. And this collection of talent, albeit like his competition, is like nothing he’s ever coached. It’s June, so the Gators have been written in one of those Crayola Erasable Crayons.


Orange Bowl, Jan. 3, 2006 – Miami v. Louisville – Also known as the Howard Schnellenberger Bowl. And a pretty darn good rematch of last year’s regular season thriller won by the ‘Canes 41-38. Miami needs a big season after settling on a December bowl game last year for the first time since 1998. The defense will be fine. The fate of the offense will depend heavily on the development of four sophomores—quarterback Kyle Wright, running back Charlie Jones, wide receiver Lance Leggett and tight end Greg Olsen. As one of three new members of the Big East, the Cards have the easiest path to a BCS bowl game. Can an unbeaten Louisville team with a weak strength of schedule get to Pasadena if no one else is unbeaten?

Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2, 2006 – Virginia Tech v. Texas – This year’s Hokie squad might be more complete than the one that surprisingly walked away with the ACC title and a Sugar Bowl berth last year. Their defense stands out in a conference that’s loaded with stout units, and they’ve got more speed than any Tech team in school history. Getting Miami in Blacksburg Nov. 5 gives them the edge in the Coastal division. How far this team goes falls on the shoulders of ultra-talented quarterback Marcus Vick, who takes over the offense after sitting out last year for disciplinary reasons. This is Texas’ best chance in a long time to win a conference (and national) championship, however, even a rebuilding Oklahoma team will get in the way. Bob Stoops will find a way to beat the ‘Horns unless a back steps up in September to take a little pressure off Vince Young. A week two trip to the ‘Shoe also looms large for Texas. A 3-2 start could result in a return to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl no matter how strong they finish.

Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 2, 2006 – Oklahoma v. Purdue – For a change, everyone is overlooking the Sooners, which is unfamiliar territory for the program. There will be new starters littered throughout the two-deep, but Adrian Peterson is back and the coaching staff is still the best in the Big XII, which is a pretty good place to start. If OU makes it six straight against Texas, don’t be surprised if they’re 7-0 by the time your kids are treat or treating. And no one this side of the MAC will have a softer opponent in their conference championship game than the winner of the South. For good reason, everyone is talking up Iowa, Michigan and Ohio State, but no one is paying much attention to a Boiler team that returns 18 starters, gets the Hawkeyes at home and skips the Wolverines and Buckeyes. Most people think wide open offense when it comes to Purdue, but it’s the Brock Spack-led defense, which will be the team strength for the third year in-a-row. Oh, and keep an eye on new starting quarterback Brandon Kirsch, who’s no wide-eyed rookie, and who could become a star in an offense that’ll look to get the most out of his versatility and athleticism.

<span style='color:darkblue'>Matthew Zemek</span>

Q: Put them on the chopping block: Predict the matchups for the four BCS games.

Orange: Virginia Tech - Louisville
Sugar: Iowa-Texas
Fiesta: Michigan-Oklahoma
Rose: USC-Tennessee

With Matt Leinart back in the saddle, USC's coaching issues won't be that much of a factor. Having that kind of leader in the quarterback position will solidify, steady and anchor the Trojans, keeping them a notch above their competition all season long. Would it be very rare for USC to win the title yet again? Yes, but Leinart's decision to stay in school--like Leinart the person--is quite rare to begin with.

Yes, Brent Schaeffer--and all his devastating speed--is no longer a Tennessee Vol. But there's this Erik Ainge kid who did all right in his freshman year last season. He'll be up to the task in an SEC where all of UT's competitors, in both divisions, have major liabilities: Georgia lacks David Greene; Florida faces all the uncertainties that go with a coaching transition; South Carolina and Steve Spurrier lack a proven quarterback; LSU lacks a big-time coach (as of now); and Auburn lacks last year's primo talent on the offensive side of the ball. If Tennessee can escape Gainesville in September with a win, watch out.

The Big Ten is hardly overrated, and Iowa and Michigan will prove as much. The Hawkeyes and Wolverines proved their mettle throughout 2004, and will only be smarter and tougher this season. Oklahoma might not be at the level of the past few Sooner teams, but with a win over Texas, a BCS bowl is still in Bob Stoops' sights. Mack Brown will find his Longhorns in Pasadena for the second straight year if Texas can hook the Sooners in Dallas, but even with a loss, there should be no other stumbles in Burnt Orange country, punching another ticket to a major bowl destination.

Louisville is the runaway favorite in the Big East, while Va Tech is anything but a runaway favorite in a crowded ACC where the mental slippage of Miami and Florida State makes the league race a very open question. If Marcus Vick gets a level head on his shoulders to go with all that raw talent, why shouldn't a rejuvenated Hokie program, freshly injected with the swagger of the previous (Michael) Vick years, march back to another ACC crown? Miami and FSU have a lot to prove... to the nation as well as to themselves. I'm so unsold on any ACC or SEC contender that Michigan is, in my scheme of things, the eighth and final BCS team as the second of two at-larges behind Texas. When you peel away the Wolverines and Longhorns, the other six teams are your six major conference champions.

<a href='http://collegefootballnews.com/2005/TQ/Tuesday_Question.htm' target='_blank'>College Football News</a>

Gee, I wonder why you consider this an interesting read Maize?

Go UAB!

HiddenDragon Wrote:Gee, I wonder why you consider this an interesting read Maize?

Go UAB!

Yeah - it's a great read if you are a UofL fan.

I swear in the years the BCS has formed the Big East -ACC should just make the "Orange Bowl" a year around matchup again between the two. Orange Bowl is the only BCS bowl close enough to BE/ACC schools

I will actually be surprised if the Birdies are the Big East rep in the BCS and not Pitt or WVU.

Shocking that a Mempis fan would say that :eek:

CardsWin00 Wrote:Shocking that a Mempis fan would say that :eek:

Looks like a Memphis/WVU fan to me (notice the "eer" portion of the username). BTW, what the hell is "eer" all about? Paint me uninformed, but I don't see any relavent connection unless it's a shortened form of MountainEER.

CardinalEmpire.com Wrote:...what the hell is "eer" all about? Paint me uninformed, but I don't see any relavent connection unless it's a shortened form of MountainEER.

That's pretty much it.

Mountaineer Born and Breed (go EERS!)

And educated at the UofM

I live in NC now and despise the ACC for the domino effect it created and the damage it did to my two favorite colleges. Wish my alma mater was still in the same conference with ya, but at least I can root for my homies against ya now.

I have a lot of respect for the atheletic programs at the UofL - What I am saying is it won't be a cake walk through the NBE, especially since you have to go through Morgantown this year.

Succes for most in Morgantown is like success in Hattiesburg. Hard to come by.


D'Angelo is D'Man

GO TIGERS GO!

Maize, I thought it was an interesting article. Thanks.

However, I don't necessarily think Louisville is the runaway favorite in the BE. I seriously question whether any BE team will go undefeated. If PITT beats NOTRE DAME and NEBRASKA in the first 3 games, they might start steamrolling. Unfortunately for the Panthers, they have to eat in at Papa John's.

The WVU wild card is the one that may trump people though. They should be weaker at the start due to some rebuilding, but they won't be bad. They'll also have more than half the season under their belts by the time both LOU and PITT have to visit the mountains. I think they have a good chance of beating at least one of those two. If they're in contention, they'll be tough because they want to win the bcs bid. If they're not in contention, they'll be even tougher because they'll want to salvage their season.

That really wasn't even the point of the post. Some Memphis fans saw it as a pro Louisville I found it interesting that they would have the Big East Champ against the ACC Champ.

And guess what, I don't expect us to go undefeated as well.