BCS Bowl Game Preview

The 2010 Bowl Season is upon us, and, even though each bowl season has come to feel endless (in a bad way), I'm excited. For the last few years, I've been disappointed by some of the match-ups (Illinois-USC two years ago, Texas-Ohio State last year). Maybe fans should redirect their outrage from the BCS to the bowl selection committees. But, I say with regained composure, I'm excited. Here are the five BCS bowl games, and how I see them playing out:

January 1, 2010: Sugar Bowl - Florida vs. Cincinnati

This game pits the most overhyped team (2009 Gators) against the least hyped undefeated team I've ever seen (2009 Bearcats). When I've heard anyone suggest that the Bearcats might beat Alabama or Texas, that same person says it so slyly the boast might be understood as a practical joke. Watching the Bearcats evolve over the last season, watching them absorb misfortune after misfortune, has convinced me that they win despite the fact that they're the last stop on the Tim Tebow and (maybe) Urban Meyer Farewell Tour. I predict a cozy and high-scoring victory for Cincinnati, 45-21.

January 1, 2010: Rose Bowl -Oregon vs. Ohio State

This is secretly one of the best games of the bowl season. Both teams overcame media debacles at the start of the season, and won their respective better-than-anticipated conferences. Though Tressel's squad has lost three consecutive BCS bowls, Ohio State showed up in last year's Fiesta Bowl with a great performance. No one is certain what to expect from Chip Kelly at this point in his career, so the game should give us a good barometer of where these teams are going in the new decade. I pick Oregon in a surprisingly high-scoring game, 31-28.

January 4, 2010: Fiesta Bowl - Boise State vs. TCU

I'll be honest. I haven't gotten to see a complete game for either of these teams. So I'll keep the punditry to a minimum. I love watching Boise State, I believe TCU to have a great defense. Both coaches seem like they're committed to their mid-major for the long haul, and they will see the BCS cartel fall within their careers. The game goes to overtime and TCU wins, 35-31.

January 2, 2010: Orange Bowl - Iowa vs. Georgia Tech

Strange that I have picked so many of these games as high-scoring, but you don't get to the BCS table without some explosive playmakers. Unless you play great defense and adequate offense in the Big 10 (Iowa), and unless you mop up with weaker ACC teams with a well-executed and fresh scheme (Georgia Tech). What might have happened if Georgia Tech had played Miami later in the season? What might have happened if Rick Stanzi had not gotten injured? We'll never know. Iowa wins, 24-14.