2008 BCS And Big 12 Bowl Selections: Big 12 Should Fare Well

by Jon Johnston on Dec 7, 2008 9:12 PM CST in Nebraska Husker Football

The BCS and bowl selections are in. Given the match ups the Big 12 shouldn't lose many games.

BCS Bowls

National Championship: Oklahoma vs. Florida
Oklahoma has lost four BCS bowls in a row, but they come into this game with one of the most prolific offenses in college football history. Oklahoma hasn't faced a quarterback like Tim Tebow, but I'd favor the Sooners defense over the Gators offense.

Fiesta: Texas vs. Ohio State
Texas is going to take out their anger on an Ohio State squad who's had horrible showings in recent big non-conference games.

Sugar: Alabama vs. Utah
Utah gets their shot to show what they can do against the former #1 team. Alabama should be favored, but don't count Utah out.

Orange: Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
Another interesting match up. Tyrod Taylor showed what he can do in the ACC Championship game against Boston College.

Rose: Penn State vs. USC
Penn State gets the Rose, USC gets a home game. This one is about emotions - can USC get up for the game?

Big 12 Bowls

Cotton Bowl: Texas Tech vs Ole Miss
Texas Tech should destroy Ole Miss.

Alamo Bowl: Missouri vs. Northwestern
On paper, Missouri should beat Northwestern like a red-headed stepchild, but the key to this game will be whether or not Mizzou can get over how the season ended. If they continue to play without confidence, Northwestern will win this easily.

Holiday Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Oregon
The Holiday bowl has that history of wild endings. I have to believe this match up will lead to another one, but Oklahoma State should prevail.

Gator Bowl: Nebraska vs Clemson
Obviously this one will be covered heavily over the next three weeks. It will be a game of Nebraska's offense versus Clemson's defense. Given that Clemson has a new defensive coordinator, initial advantage favors the Huskers.

Insight: Kansas vs Minnesota
Minnesota lost their last five games of the season, the last to Iowa 55-0. Conversely, Kansas beat rival Missouri in a game where few thought the Jayhawks had a chance. Kansas should roll.

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Comments

"Another interesting match up. Tyrod Taylor showed what he can do in the ACC Championship game against Boston College."

11-19, 84 yds, 1 INT
11 Rush, 30 yds, 2 TDs

Yawn. I thought the BCS was all about milking the college football cash cow?

by mojavereject on Dec 8, 2008 1:30 AM CST reply actions

if you look

at stats, that’s what you’re going to see. If you watched, you saw a young guy making plays when he needed to make them.

Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!

by Jon Johnston on Dec 8, 2008 6:52 AM CST up reply actions

Texas

should more pissed that it got jumped by Florida for the MNCBCS game then the Big XII championship game. OU was really close to Tex. in points in the poll but Florida was a long way behind and they barely won and still made up enough to jump UT. That means that voters intentionally voted Florida ahead of them so they wouldn’t have a rematch in the MNCBCS game.

OU had been winning in convincing fashion and that is why they had jumped UT but FLA had to come from behind and sneak one out. Now is when they should be bitching.

by taflorom on Dec 8, 2008 7:34 AM CST reply actions

Florida

did beat the #1 team in Alabama. But, I agree that the voters moved them up to avoid a rematch. This is just another example of the BCS failing to pit the two best teams against one another, which is what it was created to do. It failed in when the Huskers made it in 02’, OU in 03’, Ohio State last year and the year before and yet again this year. Five out of 10 isn’t very good heck 9 out of 10 isn’t good enough a playoff system would give us 10 for 10. Everything settled on the field none of the “but we beat them and they beat someone else”. If OU beats Florida you could argue that the two best teams in the country were in the Big XII and the BCS couldn’t put them their because of politics. I personally think USC has as good a chance to beat Florida, OU, or Texas if they met on a nuetral field in “PLAYOFF”. Almost everybody on the networks likes the BCS because it gives them something to talk about and in turn a job. The system is a FLAWED and as long as you have people and computers, not teams on the field, deciding the national champion it will always be FLAWED no matter how they TWEEK it. Not to mention Boise State and Utah undefeated and not even a shot at the title. Those players did everything they could they won all their games and because of the system not even a shot at the title. That would make recruiting a little tough don’t you think. How do you explain, “You can win all your games, Oh ya but you can’t be a national champion here.” It is a bad system the old sytsem was better than this. Was BYU the last mid-major conference national title winner? 84’ maybe?

by Huzkerfan on Dec 8, 2008 12:24 PM CST up reply actions

Yes

they were. But even then the system was flawed as the played a 6-5 Michigan team in their bowl game. That in itself was a joke. Not saying BYU wasn’t good but they should have played someone decent in a bowl game to be MNC. It is really no different now, still a joke and will be until we have a playoff.

by taflorom on Dec 10, 2008 6:39 PM CST up reply actions