The Commodores surprised a lot of people winning 8 games, 5 in the SEC and nearly upsetting South Carolina to begin the season. Now, they hope to end the season with a victory over the disappointing Wolfpack of NC State. The Wolfpack have accurate quarterback Mike Glennon and one of the best defensive backs in the nation in David Amerson. The matchup to watch? Vandy wide receiver Jordan Matthews (1,262 receiving yards) vs. the game-changing Amerson. Matthews wins the matchup leading Vanderbilt to a 9-4 season.
Vanderbilt, 28 NC State, 21
Robert Woods and Marqise Lee |
Number One Ranking, a front-runner for Heisman, two All-American receivers and the best transfer of the season. But, with all that, all USC could accomplish was a berth in the Sun Bowl against Georgia Tech, a 6-7 team. Matt Barkley won't play but Max Wittek played pretty good against Notre Dame so that might be a plus. The question mark for the Trojans is whether they can stop Paul Johnson's option attack. The Trojans rush defense has been wildly inconsistent which means good for back Orwin Smith and Tevin Washington. Even if the Yellow Jackets run all over USC, Wittek uses Marqise Lee and Robert Woods to have a big play.
USC, 34 Georgia Tech, 24
Liberty Bowl: Iowa State vs. Tulsa
Tulsa has built a dynasty in the Conference USA as they close in on an eleven win season, and their eighth bowl appearance in 10 seasons. Though, they have Iowa State in this one, one of the three teams that beat them this season. The Cyclones use a smart offense and shutdown defense to win games. They aren't very exciting but they did win six games this year, 3 of them in the Big 12. Tulsa's quarterback, Cody Green, is familiar with Iowa State as he started his career at Nebraska. The Hurricane will use the ground game, though, to attack the Cyclones. They have Trey Watts (959 rushing yards) and Ja'Terian Douglas, who helped Tulsa build their 240.2 yards per game on the ground. The Cyclones will be without linebacker Jake Knott, meaning it will be even tougher to stop the Hurricane's backs.
Tulsa, 31 Iowa State, 23
Chick-fil-A Bowl: LSU vs. Clemson
Two opposites collide in Atlanta as the 10-win LSU squad take on Clemson. LSU prides themselves on dominant defense with Bennie Logan, Sam Montgomery and Eric Reid. They also use a run-oriented attack with Kenny Hilliard and Jeremy Hill. Meanwhile, the other Tigers spread it out with Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins and electric DeAndre Hopkins. This should be a good game but I'll take SEC over ACC anyday.
LSU, 27 Clemson, 24
Gator Bowl: Northwestern vs. Mississippi State
Halfway through the season, both were on fire looking they were going to fight for their conference's championships. Northwestern won 9 games thanks to dual-threat quarterback Kain Colter and electric back Venric Mark (11 rush TD). The Bulldogs, started the season 7-0 before losing four of their games, their only win coming against a hopeless Arkansas team. They might be without star quarterback Tyler Russell and Ladarius Perkins has struggled at times this season. The one good thing for the Bulldogs is the good health of star defensive back Johnathan Banks. That shouldn't help them beat Pat Fitzgerald's team.
Northwestern, 27 Mississippi State, 17
No comments:
Post a Comment