New Year's Bowls

[Eric]

I'm enjoying all of the games on right now except for the Iowa/LSU one. That could change, but LSU looks to be in control there. Nebraska's rushing game is finding success and they've held Georgia to three field goals. I've gotten used to Bo Pelini defenses evaporating in clutch situations, but they're hanging in there today. The Wisky/USCeast game is intriguing and, while they certainly belong on the same field, South Carolina's receivers are proving to be a huge mismatch for the Badger secondary. Wisconsin is missing tackles up the wazoo and they're letting the receivers get wide open. Guys like Ellington and Roland et al are so athletic that they're hard to cover for anybody.

Also, nobody talks about Connor Shaw as being one of the best quarterbacks in the entire nation. I would never want to gameplan against this guy. He is a handful. He's only thrown one INT all year long which is crazy.

[RazorHawk]

Iowa appears to be totally over matched, and lucky to be only down 14-0 at halftime.

[Spence]

Iowa can still climb back into this one. I didn't think they could be this close at half.

[Eric]

If anybody is watching the Heart of Dallas Bowl on ESPNU, I have to say North Texas' lids are pretty awesome

North Texas might be starting to pull away. Up by 7 and the ball in the red zone. Dan McCarney has been awesome with this team. They have one of the better non-BCS defenses in the country.

[RazorHawk]

If anybody is watching the Heart of Dallas Bowl on ESPNU, I have to say North Texas' lids are pretty awesome

North Texas might be starting to pull away. Up by 7 and the ball in the red zone. Dan McCarney has been awesome with this team. They have one of the better non-BCS defenses in the country.

I thought Dan McCarney (former Hawkeye) did a very good job as Head Coach at Iowa St and they should never have fired him.

[Eric]

If anybody is watching the Heart of Dallas Bowl on ESPNU, I have to say North Texas' lids are pretty awesome

North Texas might be starting to pull away. Up by 7 and the ball in the red zone. Dan McCarney has been awesome with this team. They have one of the better non-BCS defenses in the country.

I thought Dan McCarney (former Hawkeye) did a very good job as Head Coach at Iowa St and they should never have fired him.

I think you're right. Iowa State is a tough place to win and it's not like Paul Rhoads is doing any better. They sustained some success under McCarney.

[Spence]

You have to give coach Dino props in the Rose Bowl. That was a good game no matter which team won. It was worth the price of admission. I think it was the best game of the bowl season to date.

[billybud]

Rose Bowl game was fun to watch...some of Stanford's playcalling late in the 4th surprised me....

LSU-Iowa....neither looked good....

[Old Ducker]

Stanfurd is a team built for the sole purpose of defeating Oregon. I am so happy for Sparty, and I am so happy that 10th yr. senior Shane Skov goes out as a loser.

[RazorHawk]

Rose Bowl game was fun to watch...some of Stanford's playcalling late in the 4th surprised me....

LSU-Iowa....neither looked good....

Pretty much agree, but LSU is a much better team than Iowa. They were playing with a Freshman QB, that had almost no experience. With Mettenberger, they probably win by 21 points. LSU is a very good team, possibly the second best in the SEC, behind Alabama.

On the SEC, Florida St got a huge break when Auburn lucked out to beat Bama.

[donovan]

Rose Bowl game was fun to watch...some of Stanford's playcalling late in the 4th surprised me....

LSU-Iowa....neither looked good....

Pretty much agree, but LSU is a much better team than Iowa. They were playing with a Freshman QB, that had almost no experience. With Mettenberger, they probably win by 21 points. LSU is a very good team, possibly the second best in the SEC, behind Alabama.

On the SEC, Florida St got a huge break when Auburn lucked out to beat Bama.

I agree, the game would have been FSU v Bama. But Auburn won and this season's work entitles them to play. Can you think of a more expensive trip for fans of both teams than to travel 3000 miles...?

[Cane from the Bend]

Pretty much agree, but LSU is a much better team than Iowa. They were playing with a Freshman QB, that had almost no experience. With Mettenberger, they probably win by 21 points.

Michigan State won the Rose Bowl with a QB who got his first start in that game.

LSU is a very good team, possibly the second best in the SEC, behind Alabama.

LSU is a good team, for the most part. But I watched the games this year, and saw chinks in both Alabama's & LSU's armor.

The feeling of dominance is becoming noticeably depreciable, and I think that can be expected. Conference power has always gone around in cycles.

The Big 12 was considered untouchable at the flip of the millennium. They had stalwart defenses who were stingy and let very few points scored against them; and had tidal wave offenses who would crushed you under the pressure, suffocating you until you had no fight left.

Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, even Colorado before their scandal torn them down --- The Big XII lost its edge, and in its place, the SEC took over.

The difference here, is that the SEC caught on at good time as a conference. Whereas Tennessee & florida were dominating for years, the rest of the SEC started to build just as these two schools were losing their momentum.

First florida fell off a bit under Zook; then Tennessee under the indecisiveness of Fulmer to choose only one QB and stick with him ... Georgia was always there, somewhere, just couldn't get over that hump.

Then LSU became a strong program with Saban, continuing on with Miles; as florida picked it back up with the acquisition of Meyer.

Of course, florida has faded back to less than worthwhile; though the rest of the SEC has come to a somewhat parity. Which is about the same thing that happened to the Big Twelve.

First Kansas State had become strong, then a couple of up and down years with Kansas (who is terrible now). Missouri had a few good years up there, reaching a #2 BCS ranking as a Big XII member. Colorado tumbled, but Oklahoma State rose up. Baylor went from somewhere below Iowa State to conference Top Dog.

Parity hit the Big 12, and the motions look similar in the Southeast right now.

The reason why the Pac never quite took #1 on the conference list, is because of usc.

They actually did more to damage the conference by being so dominant. Same thing happened with the ACC having florida state as a cardinal member.

Sure other schools would rise to challenge usc each year. But nobody could sustain their competitiveness on a consistent basis.

With usc being down, the pac-12 has risen up a rung or two. Stanford is formidable, as well as Oregon. UCLA has benefitted greatly at usc's expense. This year alone, 5 teams from the pac finished with ten + wins (including usc).

The best thing that could happen to the pac-12, is for usc to not see the kind of success they had in early to mid first 2000 decade.

We'll see what happens from here; but now that teams are adjusting themselves to compete against their conference peers more suitably, I suspect the title toughest conference may shift here in the near future.

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[billybud]

Auburn was playing head to head with Bama....

Auburn had a marvelous final play to win...but the game was tied in the final seconds...looked like Auburn was every bit as good as Bama on the field.

Bama had flaws....unlike FSU (who's kicker won the Groza), Bama has a lousy kicking game. I think that Bama made for an easier opponent.

[Spence]

Florida State is the only team I have watched this year that I thought wouldn't lose unless they just laid an egg. Alabama didn't lay an egg. They got beat by a rival who wanted it more that day. Auburn may not be the better team if they played best of ten, but they don't play best of ten.

[Derek]

Florida State is the only team I have watched this year that I thought wouldn't lose unless they just laid an egg. Alabama didn't lay an egg. They got beat by a rival who wanted it more that day. Auburn may not be the better team if they played best of ten, but they don't play best of ten.

Apparently Oklahoma wants it more than Bama does too.

I wonder if Bama players know something about Saban.....