Two interesting developments for the national championship game today...
1. DeMarco Murray Out
Starting Oklahoma running back and kick returner DeMarco Murray will miss the game. I don't think this will hurt Oklahoma's running game too much, as backup Chris Brown actually has rushed for more yards than Murray. Where it's going to hurt is on kick returns and receptions out of the backfield. Murray had a Percy Harvin like ability to line up in the back field and then motion into the slot and catch passes. With Chris Brown in the game, the Gators won't have to guess as much as they would if Murray was in the game.
2. Dan Mullen Will Call Plays
Not sure how I feel about this. If Meyer thinks it's best, then I can't really argue. I'd imagine Meyer demanded that Mullen stay in Gainesville and concentrate solely on the BCS Championship game. Even if this is the case, I can't help but feel that Mullen at least will be somewhat distracted.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
9. Chick-fil-A Bowl - Georgia Tech vs. LSU
An interesting matchup because the two teams are heading in different directions. No one expected much out of Georgia Tech, but they managed to go 9-3 and made a late push for the ACC Championship. LSU started out in the top 10 but ended up 7-5 due to inexperienced QB play and a surprisingly awful defense.
LSU has one advantage in this game because they have a whole month to prepare for Georgia Tech's unusual rushing attack. Will it matter though? LSU was supposed to have one of the best defensive lines in college football, but in big games against Florida and Georgia the defensive line wasn't much of a factor.
On the other side of the football, LSU will have to coach up freshman QB Jordan Jefferson to go against a decent Georgia Tech defense. Jefferson has made less mistakes than Jarett Lee, but he hasn't really been able to move the offense either.
LSU has one advantage in this game because they have a whole month to prepare for Georgia Tech's unusual rushing attack. Will it matter though? LSU was supposed to have one of the best defensive lines in college football, but in big games against Florida and Georgia the defensive line wasn't much of a factor.
On the other side of the football, LSU will have to coach up freshman QB Jordan Jefferson to go against a decent Georgia Tech defense. Jefferson has made less mistakes than Jarett Lee, but he hasn't really been able to move the offense either.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Top 10 Bowl Games
Over the next ten days I will take a look at what I think are the ten best bowl games, starting with...
#10. Hawaii Bowl - Hawaii vs. Notre Dame
This one creeps in at the #10 spot for two reasons:
1. If Notre Dame can't end its nine game bowl losing streak against Hawaii then it might actually be possible that they never win another bowl game again.
2. Cheeseburger Charlie is officially on the one-more-bad-season-and-you're-gone hot seat. No one is going to be saying the Irish are back if they win this game, but at least a win will be something to build on going into next year's do-or-die season.
As for the game itself... it should be pretty close, because these two teams are the definition of mediocrity. Neither of them do anything particularly well, but they are also not totally inept.
#10. Hawaii Bowl - Hawaii vs. Notre Dame
This one creeps in at the #10 spot for two reasons:
1. If Notre Dame can't end its nine game bowl losing streak against Hawaii then it might actually be possible that they never win another bowl game again.
2. Cheeseburger Charlie is officially on the one-more-bad-season-and-you're-gone hot seat. No one is going to be saying the Irish are back if they win this game, but at least a win will be something to build on going into next year's do-or-die season.
As for the game itself... it should be pretty close, because these two teams are the definition of mediocrity. Neither of them do anything particularly well, but they are also not totally inept.
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