For All the Marbles

The game of the week comes from the NFC East when the Eagles and Cowboys will go at it in Dallas. As you most likely know, Tony Romo is out because of back surgery. Kyle Orton is filling in for Romo. Dallas will have to rely on RB DeMarco Murray. Murray has been very good this year when healthy, but he hasn't gotten the amount of touches he deserves. His counterpart LeSean McCoy has asserted himself as one of the best RB in the league. The Eagles are the hottest team in the NFC with 2nd year QB Nick Foles running the show. Foles has done a great job replacing Michael Vick. The Cowboys have had terrible luck and have been very banged up and I think the injuries will catch up with them.

       My Pick: Eagles 31 Cowboys 13

Bowl Season Extravaganza

Bowl season has already begun, but we are really starting to get to the good games that are on everybody's mind. The bowl season started out with Colorado State making an epic comeback to defeat Washington State in a thriller. I will give you a preview of my top 5 non-BCS Bowl games and then a thorough breakdown of the BCS Bowls over the next few days. There are many storylines to this year's schedule that should be exciting to watch unfold.

Top 5 non-BCS Bowls:

Russell Athletic Bowl

Miami vs. #18 Louisville

6:45 PM December 28

Miami started the season off very hot until they met the dynamic Florida State squad in a very hyped game that ended in a beat down on the Canes. Louisville's only loss came to a good UCF team who is playing in a BCS Bowl. This could be Teddy Bridgewater's last game as a Cardinal, and he has some history to The U. Bridgewater, a star out of Miami Northwestern High School, originally committed to his hometown team, but changed his mind and went to Louisville. Bridgewater has had a terrific career with Louisville. The key to this game will be if the Cardinals defense can stop the ground and pound running game of Miami, lead by Duke Johnson. He has been a beast this season and has kept this Miami team together. Don't sleep on Miami QB Stephen Morris, though. He has thrown for over 2,800 yards and 21 TD. This Louisville defense has been stingy, but they haven't faced an offense (with the exception to UCF) like Miami's.
My Pick: Louisville 38 Miami 24
 Alamo Bowl
Texas vs. #10 Oregon
6:45 PM December 30
This is Mack Brown's last game as coach of the Texas Longhorns, and he has had an illustrious career with UT. It will be a tough matchup for his team as they face a dynamic Oregon offense. Ducks' QB Marcus Mariota is electrifying and tough to stop. He will be coming back next year as he declined the NFL Draft for one more season with Oregon. Oregon's offense averages 46.8 points per game and is top 20 in the nation in both rushing and passing yards. I think Oregon will be too tough to stop and put a damper on Mack Brown's going out party.
My Pick: Oregon 48 Texas 27
Chick-fil-a Bowl
#24 Duke vs #21 Texas A&M
8:00 PM December 31
This might be the legendary Johnny Manziel's last game as a collegiate athlete. Duke is coming off a loss in the ACC Championship to Florida State. It has been a historic season for the Blue Devils. The Coastal Division Champions have had a fantastic ride, but they are facing one of the best playmakers in all of college football. Manziel has some big targets, including WR Mike Evans. Evans has been a beast this season by putting up huge numbers. I don't think Duke will be able to stop this A&M offense.
My Pick: Texas A&M 42 Duke 17
 Capital One Bowl
#19 Wisconsin vs #9 South Carolina
1:00 PM January 1
I am so excited for this matchup between these two very good teams. The Wisconsin O-line will have a tough time trying to stop the South Carolina D-line. Jadeveon Clowney will try to finish his SC career with a big win. Wisconsin has great balance on offense with Melvin Gordon and James White carrying the ball and Jared Abbrederis at WR. The Badgers defense is 5th in the country by only allowing 14 points per game. South Carolina QB Connor Shaw is a great dual-threat QB and is a major threat. This game will be won at the line of scrimmage and I think that the Gamecocks will win their 2nd straight Capital One Bowl in a close matchup.
My Pick: South Carolina 27 Wisconsin 24
Cotton Bowl
#13 Oklahoma State vs #8 Missouri
7:30 PM January 3
This game pits two of the most explosive offenses in the country. Mizzou has one of the the best set of WR in all of college football. They create matchup problems for any secondary. Oklahoma State is coming off a crushing loss to rival Oklahoma. OSU RB Desmond Roland averages about 5 yards per carry and is one of the most underrated players in the Big 12. The Cowboys' defense will have a very tough time stopping the electric James Franklin. Franklin is one of the most fun players in college football to watch. I think he will be the difference between these two teams.
My Pick: Missouri 38 Oklahoma State 27

Game of the Week: Who You Calling Old?

The game of the week features two Playoff hopeful teams in need of a win to keep up in their divisions and the Wild Card race. The Ravens and Lions will go at it tonight at Ford Field in Detroit. There has been some pre-game chatter between the two teams. Most notably came from Baltimore CB Matt Elam. He has the daunting task of covering WR Calvin Johnson. This is a motivated Johnson after Elam called him "old." Johnson, 28, is the best WR in the league, so Elam should have a rough night. Both these teams need these wins after the Bears won and the Dolphins beat the Patriots. The Lions are 1/2 a game behind the Bears and the Ravens are 1/2 a game behind the Dolphins. Both of these teams have had 10 days to prepare for this game because they both won on Thanksgiving Day. This has the makings for an exciting game, and I think The explosive Detroit offense prevails in the end. 

My Pick: Lions 34 Ravens 20

My Season Record: 8-6

Heisman Preview

As most of you all know, tonight is the Heisman Trophy presentation at 8 PM on ESPN in NYC. This year's six finalists are QB Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois, QB AJ McCarron of Alabama, RB Tre Mason of Auburn, RB Andre Williams of Boston College, QB Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M, and the frontrunner QB Jameis Winston of Florida State. Winston is the leader in this race as he has thrown for 38 TD and lead his FSU Seminoles to the National Championship game. Did I mention he is only a Freshman? The 'Noles will meet Auburn and star RB Tre Mason in Pasadena. Mason has rushed for 22 TD and 5.7 yards per carry. He burst onto the national scene late in the year with wins over Alabama and Missouri in the SEC Championship Game. He rushed for 303 yards and 4 TD against Mizzou on the big stage. QB AJ McCarron has also had a very strong season for Alabama. He threw for 26 TD and 2.676 passing yards. He did everything he needed for his team this season. He did all he could to try and get his Crimson Tide in the National Championship. The defending Heisman winner is still in the race, too. Johnny Manziel has had another exceptional year and has put on some shows against very stiff opponents this season. He has thrown for 33 TD and rushed for another 8. He has also thrown for 3,732 passing yards. The player that has probably done the most for his team this season is RB Andre Williams of BC. He has rushed for 2,102 yards and 17 TD against teams that have just stacked the box. He is the whole Eagles offense. Defenses know he is getting the ball and they still can't stop him. The Cinderella of the race is probably Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois. He is no Cinderella on the field though. This gritty QB has rushed for 22 TD and thrown for 23. He has accounted for 4557 yards this season. The only problem for him is his schedule. His Huskies haven't played the opponents that the other contenders have. NIU's last loss to Bowling Green really stung with voters. There are many storylines for this year's Heisman. I think Tre Mason should get the trophy this season, but I think Jameis Winston will end up hoisting it. 

palmbeachpost.com

usatoday.com

 

Game of the Week: Beardown

With all of the inclement weather we have had, it should make for an entertaining game tonight when the Bears take on the Cowboys at Soldier Field in Chicago. The game-time weather should be at or below freezing. Both of these teams need to win to keep up with the teams ahead of them in their division. The winner of this game will then be tied up at the top of their divisions. The Bears are a 1/2 game behind the Lions in the NFC North. The same goes for the Cowboys with the Eagles in the NFC East. The Bears rushing defense is very shaky, so DeMarco Murray should get a lot of the touches for Dallas. Jay Cutler is out for the Bears, and it comes at a bad time. However, Josh McCown has it a little easier on him as the Cowboys pass defense is the worst in the league. Not to mention McCown has targets in Brandon Marshall, Marcellus Bennett, and Alshon Jeffery. This will be a very interesting game, but I see Matt Forte having a big running day. The Cowboys defense is in the bottom five of the league at stopping the run, too. 

My Pick: Chicago 31 Cowboys 23

My Season Record: 7-6

Championship Weekend

This tends to be the most exciting weekend every year in college football with all the conference championships. There are some very intriguing matchups with big storylines that will effect the BCS Championship Game.

#5 Missouri vs #3 Auburn

4:00 PM

Auburn is obviously coming off one of the biggest wins in its program's storied history, but they have to be focused purely on Mizzou. Missouri would be undefeated if it wasn't for a 4th quarter collapse against South Carolina. James Franklin has been terrific when healthy this year. The winner of this game could be playing for a BCS Championship. The Auburn secondary will have a tough time matching up with the tall Missouri Wide Receivers. The game will be won up front on the line. Mizzou's D-line will have to come up big today against the dynamic Auburn rushing attack.

My Pick: Auburn 37 Missouri 31

#7 Stanford vs #11 Arizona State

7:45 PM

This should be a tough and gritty football game. The Arizona State defensive front 7 has tremendous talent, but they will have to stop the bulldozer in Stanford's RB Tyler Gaffney. The Cardinals rushing attack is lead by their big line. This will be a contrast of styles as ASU loves to throw the ball with QB Taylor Kelly. The Stanford D is up for a challenge today. ASU has an under the radar WR in Jaelen Strong. He is someone to watch tonight. 

My Pick: Stanford 27 Arizona State 21

#2 Ohio State vs #10 Michigan State

8:17 PM 

This could be the biggest game of the day between two very strong football teams. OSU needs to win this game to have any shot at a national title. this would boost their credentials a lot against a very good team in Michigan State. I think a lot of OSU fans are looking past this Spartan team and are only fearing being jumped by an SEC team in the BCS Standings. The Buckeyes better fear this MSU team, because they have the best defense in the country and will come to play tonight. I think they will shut down this OSU offense and get the win. 

My Pick: Michigan State 20 Ohio State 10

My Season Pick Record: 25-17

Game of the Week: Fight for the Top Spot

The game of the week should be a goody. The Seahawks (10-1) and Saints (9-2) will go at it tonight at CenturyLink Field in Seattle in what could be the biggest regular season game of the year to this date. This game could decide who has the #1 seed in the Playoffs and home-field advantage. Home-field advantage is huge for these two teams, as they both are fantastic at home and play in rowdy environments. Seattle is one of the loudest atmospheres in all of sports. The Seahawks will be missing Brandon Browner (groin) and Walter Thurmond (suspension) against Drew Brees and the high flying Saints offensive attack. The Saints' defense has improved drastically this year. However, I think they will have a tough time stopping Marshawn Lynch. I expect Lynch to have a big day and open up the passing attack for Russell Wilson with a healthy Percy Harvin.

My Prediction: Seahawks 27 Saints 24

My Season Record: 6-6