Blacksheet: Bowl Selections

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Consensus Record 8-5

BC 20 (W)
NC 13

Nav 24 (W)
NM 9

Cal 23
TT 10

Troy 11
NIU 12

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College football news has been scoring 1 game wrong(UCLA), so the posted records are not 100 % right, will update that later

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Whose hot:

Rico 10-3 ny post(CAL,NIU up next)
Tom D 9-5 CFN(TT, NIU)
Fiu 9-5 CFN(CAL, NIU)
Matt H 9-5 CFN(CAL, NIU)
MIke Francesa 3-0(CAL)


Consensus 8-5(CAL,NIU)

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Rico 11-4 ny post
Tom D 11-5 CFN
Fiu 10-6 CFN
Matt H 10-6 CFN
MIke Francesa 3-1

Consensus 9-6

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Msnbc

Alabama (6-5)
vs.
Minnesota (6-5)

Date: Dec. 31

Time: Noon ET

Location: Nashville, Tenn.

Television: ESPN

Payout: $780,000

Last result: Auburn 28, Wisconsin 14

Bowl history/last appearance: Alabama 29-19-3 (won 14-13 over Iowa State in 2001 Independence); Minnesota 4-5 (won 31-30 over Oregon in 2003 Sun)

Series: First meeting

2004 results: Alabama; Minnesota

2004 statistics: Alabama; Minnesota

Coaches: Mike Shula (Alabama); Glen Mason (Minnesota)

What Alabama has to do to win: In a rock-em, sock-em game, the first team to make something happen in the passing game, wins! Minnesota has two 1,000-yard rushers to throw at the Crimson Tide, which has one of the best run-defenses in the country with LBs Cornelius Wortham, DeMeco Ryans and Freddie Roach. ’Bama is working with a third-string QB, so the month of practice since the Auburn game is a big plus.

What Minnesota has to do to win: The Gophers have a better passing game, which gives them an edge, but the Tide has a better defense. The Gophers have lost three in a row coming into this game, so a quick start to help them gain some confidence a must. Auburn beat Wisconsin last season to end the SEC's five-game losing streak in this game.

Opening point spread: Alabama by 3

Prediction: Alabama 21, Minnesota 20.

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Msnbc

Purdue (7-4)
vs.
No. 21 Arizona State (8-3)

Date: Dec. 31

Time: 2 p.m. ET

Location: El Paso, Texas

Television: CBS

Payout: $1.5 million

Last result: Minnesota 31, Oregon 30

Bowl history/last appearance: Purdue 7-5 (lost 34-27, OT, to Georgia in 2004 Capital One); Arizona State 10-9-1 (lost 34-27 to Kansas State in 2002 Holiday)

Series: First meeting

2004 results: Purdue; Arizona State

2004 statistics: Purdue; Arizona State

Coaches: Joe Tiller (Purdue); Dirk Koetter (Arizona State)

What Purdue has to do to win: Team heartbreak got itself back together with two wins to close the season. The most disappointing team in college football was 5-0, then lost four games by a total of 10 points. The Big Ten was seriously underrated this season, and I don’t say that often. Purdue is good and it lost to some very good teams in the league: Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa. I can’t explain Northwestern. The Boilermakers’ task in this game is to find Arizona State WR Derek Hagan, a favorite receiver for whoever is quarterbacking the Sun Devils.

What Arizona State has to do to win: Get organized behind another quarterback. The Sun Devils are in this bowl game because of QB Andrew Walter, but he will miss the game with a separated shoulder.

Opening point spread: Purdue by 7 1/2

Prediction: Purdue 28, Arizona State 7.

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Msnbc

No. 10 Boise State (11-0)
vs.
No. 7 Louisville (10-1)

Date: Dec. 31

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Location: Memphis, Tenn.

Television: ESPN

Payout: $1.35 million

Last result: Utah 17, Southern Mississippi 0

Bowl history/last appearance: Boise State 4-0 (won 34-31 over TCU in 2003 Fort Worth); Louisville 4-6-1 (lost 49-28 to Miami, Ohio in 2003 GMAC)

Series: Boise State leads 1-0 (34-31 in '99 Humanitarian)

2004 results: Boise State; Louisville

2004 statistics: Boise State; Louisville

Coaches: Dan Hawkins (Boise State); Bobby Petrino (Louisville)

What Boise State has to do to win: In the second-most intriguing bowl game behind Oklahoma-USC, the boys in blue should keep reviewing tapes of themselves. Louisville moves at the same lickety-split pace. This game should be played in track shoes. The idea is to slow down the Cardinals by getting some deflections or making tackles after the catch by Louisville receivers.

What Louisville has to do to win: The Cardinals can match Boise State score for score, but Louisville has better athletes in the secondary to make the one play that stops a drive at the end to win the game. First team that punts, loses.

Opening point spread: Louisville by 9 1/2

Prediction: Louisville 98, Boise State 91.

MVP: Scoreboard operator.

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Msnbc

No. 14 Miami, Fla. (8-3)
vs.
No. 20 Florida (7-4)

Date: Dec. 31

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Location: Atlanta

Television: ESPN

Payout: $2.2 million

Last result: Clemson 27, Tennessee 14

Bowl history/last appearance: Miami, Fla. 16-12 (won 16-14 over Florida State in 2004 Orange); Florida 14-17 (lost 37-17 to Iowa in 2004 Outback)

Series/last meeting: Miami, Fla. leads 27-25 (Miami, Fla. won 38-33 in '03)

2004 results: Miami, Fla.; Florida

2004 statistics: Miami, Fla.; Florida

Coaches: Larry Coker (Miami, Fla.); Charlie Strong/interim (Florida)

What Miami, Fla. has to do to win: Find a running game out of a shotgun. Borrow Georgia’s scheme, do anything. The ’Canes don’t move the ball when quarterback Brock Berlin is behind center and there is a running play called. Miami is eighth in the ACC in rushing offense and too one-dimensional. The Hurricanes are seventh in total offense, which explains how they struggled for points in three close losses.

What Florida has to do to win: Refocus without Ron Zook. The Gators seemed to rally behind their coach the final three games of the season. It would be a great way for seniors to go out, beating Florida State and Miami, even without Zook. The Hurricanes, despite three losses, are still capable on offense, which means Florida better get ready on defense. There is no secret what happened to the Gators this season: shoddy D. They were seventh in the SEC giving up 341 yards a game.

Opening point spread: Miami, Fla. by 3

Prediction: Miami, Fla. 28, Florida 17.

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Been in and out and will be all weekend, so I can only post who is doing good:

Rico 13-4
Tom d 12-6
Clucko the chicken 11-7
mike francessa 4-1(does he have any other picks?)

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Rico 13-6
Tom d 13-7
Clucko the chicken 13-7

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Heres what I like for today:

Texas A&M
Iowa
Michigan
Wisconsin(making this a no play, I wont be on a loser lawrence goy, and wont buck the trend of favs -5 or more, have not covered)
FSU

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Damn that mark lawrence,scared me off wisc....So far not 1 team favored by 5 or more points has covered, with fsu pending

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Hope someone benefited from the 4-1 plays(3-1 if you throw out wisc) I gave out yesterday....

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msnbc:

No. 3 Auburn (12-0)
vs.
No. 9 Virginia Tech (10-2)

Date: Jan. 3

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Location: New Orleans

Television: ABC

Payout: $11-14 million

Last result: LSU 21, Oklahoma 14

Bowl history/last appearance: Auburn16-12-2 (won 28-14 over Wisconsin in 2003 Music City); Virginia Tech 6-11 (lost 52-49 to California in 2003 Insight)

Series: Auburn leads 2-1-1 (Auburn 19-0 in '25, 18-7 in '78; Virginia Tech 23-16 in '75; Tie 0-0 in '24)

2004 results: Auburn; Virginia Tech

2004 statistics: Auburn; Virginia Tech

Coaches: Tommy Tuberville (Auburn); Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech)

What Auburn has to do to win: Take a good look at the Tennessee game film and figure out how the Vols rushed for 228 yards and fix it. Virginia Tech is going to be all over that film to see what Tennessee did to the Tigers in the SEC championship game. It was a lot of zone-block run plays that flattened out the Auburn defense and the smallish Tiger linebackers got mashed.

QB Jason Campbell and his wide receivers need to connect on the 15-yard passes against man-to-man defense on one side of the field. Virginia Tech will take away one side of the field with zone and then use man-to-man on the other side. Campbell and wideout Courtney Taylor need to be in sync.

Auburn needs to keep an eye on Tech QB Bryan Randall because he has his confidence. He will leave the pocket for 20-yard runs if he gets the chance.

What Virginia Tech has to do to win: Keep feeding Randall whatever it is has was eating down the stretch. He is a confident and dangerous quarterback who is making plays. Randall can take off on the run and keep a drive alive.

On defense, Tech has to make Auburn drive the ball. The Tigers are a load to stop with RBs Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown, who also catch a lot of passes in a short passing game. Where Auburn can get you is if the defense comes too close to stop the run. Campbell will throw deep for the long touchdown.

Opening point spread: Auburn by 6 1/2.

Prediction: Auburn 24, Virginia Tech 21

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The Sports Network

By Pat Taggart, College Football Writer

GAME NOTES: After being kept out of the Orange Bowl despite a perfect record, the Auburn Tigers will cap off their magical season in the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech. Auburn belongs to the SEC and Virginia Tech competes in the ACC, and those two leagues are widely considered the toughest in the nation. Tech split its first four games this season, but the team has gone on to win eight straight outings and capture the outright ACC title in the process. The Hokies captured the league championship in their final regular season game, a 16-10 road victory over a tough Miami squad. Virginia Tech, 1-1 all-time in the Sugar Bowl, last played here in 2000 for the national championship against Florida, a game that resulted in a rather lopsided 49-26 defeat. While the Tigers have plenty to be proud off, as they capped off an undefeated regular season with a victory over Tennessee in the SEC Championship game, they are obviously disappointed that they will not have the opportunity to compete for the BCS title. That right has gone to USC and Oklahoma, two of the other four Division I-A teams that enter the postseason without a loss. Still, a lackluster effort by the Sooners and Trojans in the Orange Bowl coupled with a tremendous showing by Auburn in this Sugar Bowl could enable the Tigers to earn the AP national title. Head coach Tommy Tuberville was recently named the SEC Coach of the Year to no one's surprise, and he has now brought his team to five bowl appearance in six seasons. In four other appearances in the Sugar Bowl, Auburn has a 1-2-1 record, but the last trip to this bowl came 15 years ago. The Tigers hold a 2-1-1 series lead over Virginia Tech, although the two teams have not met since 1978, a 18-7 Auburn win in Blacksburg.

Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall, the ACC Player of the Year, holds the school record with 37 consecutive starts. He also is the school's all-time career passing leader with 6,209 yards and ranks second on the career list with 46 touchdowns. This year he has totaled 1,965 passing yards with 19 touchdowns through the air and three more on the ground. He has thrown only seven picks and continues to be the quiet leader of a team that has seemingly overachieved and earned a spot in this year's second-biggest bowl game. No receiver has made more than 25 grabs for the team, and the lack of a stud on the outside makes both Tech's record and Randall's personal success all the more impressive. The Hokies are averaging an impressive 32.2 ppg, and more than half of the 364.8 ypg that they average has come on the ground. Mike Imoh leads the pack with 704 rushing yards and six scores, while fellow tailback Cedric Humes has racked up 595 yards and five touchdowns. Randall is a dangerous runner as well, as the versatile signal-caller has posted 466 rushing yards and three scores. Tech does not possess any high profile offensive performers, but the offensive unit as a whole is more than capable of scoring its fair share of points.

The Tech defense holds its opponents to 12.6 ppg and 265 total ypg, and it will certainly be challenged by the vaunted Auburn offense. Leading the Hokies are linebackers Vince Hall and Mikal Baaqee, as those two individuals are tied for the team lead with 62 tackles. While Hall and Baaqee are consistent performers, the player most capable of having a big impact in this Sugar Bowl is defensive end Darryl Tapp. Thanks to a good combination of strength, skill and speed, Tapp has made 16 stops for loss, including eight sacks. The Hokies have posted 32 sacks in all and recorded 30 takeaways, including 18 interceptions. They have surrendered only seven passing touchdowns in 48 quarters of action, while allowing opposing quarterbacks to average only 10.6 yards per completion. Tech has been tough against the run as well, as it has allowed foes to gain only 115.7 ypg on the ground on 3.3 ypc.

For much of this season, quarterback Jason Campbell continued to be underrated despite the success of Auburn. Finally, he has gotten the recognition he fully deserves. Campbell was recently named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year by the league's coaches, and it is hard to argue with the selection considering that he completed a stellar 69.7 percent of his passes, for a career-high 2,511 yards with 19 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Campbell has undoubtedly been helped by a rushing attack that features arguably the top backfield duo in the nation. Carnell Williams was recently named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year by the coaches, and he happens to one of the nation's premier tailbacks as well. Williams finished the regular season with 1,104 yards on the ground, and his 13 touchdowns led the SEC. Teammate Ronnie Brown does not get quite as much attention, but he is averaging 6.1 ypc as compared to 5.0 ypc for Williams. Brown has totaled 845 yards and eight touchdowns to date, and both he and Williams are potentially first round NFL draft picks. Courtney Taylor is the top option at the receiver position, as he has scored six times and racked up 650 yards on his 38 grabs. Auburn averages 33.4 ppg and 430.8 ypg of total offense, and the balance that has been achieved by the unit is remarkable.

Auburn senior defensive backs Junior Rosegreen and Carlos Rogers lead a stellar defense that allowed opponents to score only 11.2 ppg and average 269.5 total ypg. Rogers, who recently won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's premier defensive back, leads Auburn with 10 pass breakups this season, pushing his career total to 40, and he has posted a career-high five tackles for loss. Rosegreen ended the regular season with a career-high five interceptions, four of which came in Auburn's 34-10 victory over Tennessee in Knoxville in October. That accomplishment tied a 65-year-old SEC record and set a new Auburn mark. Opposing quarterbacks have more interceptions (14) than passing touchdowns (13) against the Tigers this season, and the defense is allowing a low average of 10.9 yards per completion. Also worthy of mention is the fact that the defense has posted a solid total of 35 sacks, and Quentin Groves and Stanley McClover lead the club with 7.5 sacks apiece.

Virginia Tech has the ability to change games with its stellar special teams play, and the team's defense is superb as well. The Hokies will keep this one close, but the edge has to go to the Tigers. Auburn would like nothing more than to finish with another win and make a case for a share of the national title.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Auburn 27, Virginia Tech 17