College Football Wrap Up: Bowl Edition

Hello all! The regular season is over now and I’d like to welcome you to the 1st annual College Football Wrap Up: Bowl Edition. This year’s bowl lineup is mixed with surprises and some marquee matchups that shouldn’t disappoint. After some conference championships that closed out the season, here is a look at some of the bowl games to look forward to. 

• The Capitol One Bowl will be pitting No. 13 Penn State vs. No. 12 LSU in what is going to be a contest of powerhouses.  In this one, both of these programs started the season with title hopes and although they fell short of those dreams, both the Tigers and Nittany Lions will be ready for a war Jan 1^st hoping to finish their seasons strong.
• The Gator Bowl looks to be a very popular game in Florida this season.  Although I am a diehard Seminole fan and I have been for years, I am very surprised that Florida State got the vote to play in this game after they struggled with injuries and tough losses all season. I am thinking it has something to do with it being Bobby Bowden’s last coaching effort at Florida State. The Noles will be facing a team from Bowden’s coaching past, #16 West Virginia. I am looking forward to seeing young QB EJ Manuel in his first bowl appearance facing QB Jarrett Brown and explosive RB Noel Devine from the Mountaineers.
• Another game that I am truly looking forward too is the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, which will have a faceoff between two truly powerhouse programs.  # 11 Virginia Tech takes on unranked Tennessee in a classic ACC vs. SEC matchup. Both teams have a superb running game with the Hokies featuring RB Ryan Williams and versatile QB Tyrod Taylor and the Volunteers have a star RB to match with Montario Hardesty, this should prove to be one of the better games to watch this holiday.
• I think everyone here in my backyard in El Paso TX, is a little excited to see Oklahoma facing #21 Stanford and Heisman runner up and Doak Walker award winner, Toby Gerhart, in what is expected to be an outstanding contest. It certainly is one of the better matchups in the Brut Sun Bowl in recent memory. I am looking for Gerhart to have a big game, especially if he is looking to enter the draft.
• One of my favorite teams to watch this season will be in this year’s Champs Sports Bowl with #15 Miami taking on Wisconsin. I am a big fan o QB Jacory Harris and what he can do in the clutch. Miami had a very tough season schedule and I believe they showed a lot of people that they will be a team to fear this upcoming season.
• This season’s Independence Bowl highlights Texas A&M vs. Georgia. It should be quite a game with both teams coming off of good performances.  A&M’s Jerrod Johnson sure had a great showing against Texas behind center, and I am looking forward to see him perform once again. Georgia has had some ups and downs this season but still has some promising players to garner an expected win; I would tune in for this one.
• The Holiday Bowl will feature #22 Nebraska against #20 Arizona .The Cornhuskers are coming off of a very disappointing loss to #2 Texas, but had a memorable performance out of DT Ndamukong Suh with a career high 4.5 sacks, which pushed him into Heisman finalist territory. They will need that same passion and physicality to match the offense that the Wildcats have been able to muster these recent weeks. I take the Nebraska in this one with a strong performance from Suh.
• In a game that will surprise many casual fans, the Emerald Bowl will have #25 USC face off against Boston College in what many believe will be a blowout. Trojan Head Coach Pete Carroll is looking to regain his throne as an offensive general, and I do not see the Trojan defense letting this one get by them either. We have seen what happens when USC doesn’t take their opponent seriously, don’t expect any mistakes here.

BCS Countdown

• The Orange Bowl this season features a strong matchup with #10 Iowa taking on #9 Georgia Tech . Georgia Tech is one of the best teams from the ACC this year with QB Josh Nesbitt and RB Jonathan Dwyer as one of the best running duos in the country. Iowa has had a great season with a few bumps at the end of the journey when their “General” Ricky Stanzi was injured down the stretch. However, Stanzi has the green light to return January 5^th, and with great coaching and a passionate defens, the Hawkeyes remained a team to beat at season’s end. This should be a great meeting between two hungry teams.
• The Fiesta Bowl this year is going to be a very anticipated matchup between two undefeated teams that were chasing their national title chances throughout the season. #4 TCU is facing #6 Boise State. This is the first time two non BCS teams are featured in a BCS bowl, so look for both teams coming ready to play their best football. This will be a true test to reveal if the future of the current bowl system could change. The game will come down to which QB is protected better and  if the Horned Frogs are not fazed by the importance of this bowl game in the national spotlight.
• I am really looking forward to this year’s Rose Bowl, #7 Oregon versus #8 Ohio State. I truly believe that Oregon is one of the best programs in the country at the moment, and they have looked adversity in the eye all season with a smile. The Ducks look to continue that pattern with Jeremiah Masoli and his duel threat mentality. The Buckeyes are looking to prove that they are heading in the right direction with their offense, so I expect for Terelle Pryor to have a big game on the ground showing Ohio why he is their future at the QB position.
• This year’s Sugar Bowl will also be a very interesting game with #5 Florida taking on #3 Cincinnati. The Bearcats are currently undefeated and are wielding a vicious passing attack from Tony Pike, however Florida quarterback Tim Tebow may bring his own arsenal coming off of a devastating loss to Alabama in this past week’s SEC championship game. Judging by his past…it is hard to say that he will lose two in a row, and Cincinnati is facing the reality that head coach Brian Kelly is off to replace Charlie Weis at Notre Dame.   
• Lastly, we have this year’s BCS national championship game which will feature #1 Alabama against #2 Texas in a matchup of two undefeated teams. With playmakers on offense , and two future hall of fame coaches going head to head, this should be a memorable game. I am looking forward to seeing what Alabama’s Heisman winner Mark Ingram and the Longhorns own Maxwell Award winner Colt McCoy bring to the table. McCoy should be aiming to prove something as a Heisman runner-up. The stage is rarely set up more perfectly for a national title game.

Wow, what a season to remember. With so many expectations crushed, and so much potential realized, we were able to witness many surprises as many teams fell from grace as other teams looked to solidify themselves as valid contenders. Thank for following on The Fathers Life, and College Football Wrap UP this season and I hope that you come back to read us again.

2009-10 College Football Bowl Schedule

Bobby Wren

Bobby Wren is a contributing sports enthusiast living out of El Paso, TX. He is currently involved in business and enjoys cooking for his family in his spare time. Bobby has been married for four years and has two wonderful children.