In a sport that’s had so much change, scandal and upheaval over a short period of time, this clash for the National Title is a welcome surge of nostalgia for the college football traditionalist. These two historical football powers will meet on the strength of defense and motivation.
If you’re looking for a match-up that showcases the modern incarnation of the college game, you needn’t look any further than the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. This BCS clash pits two high-octane offenses and two Heisman candidates against each other.
Many are expecting the Gators to stomp (and chomp) on Louisville but lets remember that as good as they are on defense they are offensively challenged. Louisville is solid all around and I think this game can be a pleasant surprise.
If you like tough, physical football, this is the matchup for you. The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. is set to host the Stanford Cardinal and the Wisconsin Badgers, and both teams have quite a bit in common. Each squad runs the football and plays great defense, and while this won’t be the highest scoring bowl game this season, it will still be a battle of which team can assert their dominance from the start of the contest.
No. 6 Stanford Cardinal (8-2) vs Wisconsin Badgers
January 1, 2012
Rose Bowl, PASADENA, CALIF.
5:00 PM ET
Moneyline: Stanford -245, Wisconsin +205 from GTBets.eu
Spread: Stanford -6
O/U: 47
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The big question about the Wisconsin Badgers is whether or not they truly deserve to be in the Rose Bowl. An undefeated Ohio State and a rejuvenated Penn State both finished with better records than the Badgers, but because of bowl ineligibility, it’s Wisconsin who earns the nod despite being the No. 3 team.
But that being said, the Badgers are in, and they’ll look to prove that they can make the most of this opportunity.
Wisconsin’s defense is what propelled them to success in 2012. They’re ranked 19th in the country in points allowed, they’re 14th in total yards allowed, and they’ve been solid against both the run and the pass.
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But where this game is going to be won or lost is with running back Monte Ball. The senior tailback wasn’t able to re-create his 2011 Heisman-like season, but he is still the heart and soul of the offense. He’ll be matched up against one of the best run defenses in the country, so getting him going early is going to be a huge part of Wisconsin’s game plan.
The major storyline this season for the Stanford Cardinal was the insertion of Kevin Hogan into the starting quarterback spot. In four of his five appearances, the team scored at least 27 points, and his dual-threat abilities added a whole new aspect to Stanford’s offense. Running back Stephan Taylor also had a good year—he became the university’s all-time leading rusher—and he’ll be another player who looks to get Stanford going.
But the truth is that Stanford’s offense was just a mere footnote on a season that was carried the entire way by an elite defense. The Cardinal have one of the best front lines in all of football, and they showed it on a regular basis. In their statement win of the year—a road victory over No. 2 Oregon—they held Heisman hopeful Kenjon Barner to just 66 yards on the ground, and they’ll look to do the same thing to Monte Ball. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Stanford’s rushing defense was ranked third this season, as they allowed just 88 yards per game in that category, but their passing defense was just 85th in the country.
They don’t have to worry about Wisconsin throwing the ball too much, as the Badgers ranked 115th in the country in passing yards, but a weak defensive attack in that area could allow their opponent some breathing room.
If Wisconsin can come out and find success against Stanford’s defense, all the talks about whether or not they deserve this game will go away.
But if they can’t, and Stanford comes out prepared as they always seem to be, this one will belong to the Cardinal.
•Cardinal are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 non-conference games.
•Cardinal are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after accumulating less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.
•Cardinal are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss.
•Cardinal are 4-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
•Over is 4-0 in Badgers last 4 games on grass.
•Over is 5-0 in Badgers last 5 games after allowing more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game.
O/U Pick: Over 47
Score Prediction: Stanford 27 – Wisconsin 20
Big 12 vs Conference USA in this one…I think, who knows these days. Tulsa is always an entertaining program to watch but Iowa State can be full of surprises.
Georgia nearly beat Alabama but because of the current rules they get a lame matchup against Nebraska on New Year’s Day. From what we have seen lately there is a huge difference in class in this matchup.
Short of an appearance in the National Championship game, it’s always a privilege for a football program to play in the “Grand-daddy of ‘Em All”. Yet, the mere fact that 8-5 Wisconsin is representing the Big Ten in this year’s game, suggests just how zany the Big Ten Conference has been in 2012.
This year’s Orange Bowl is certain to be a fascinating game because it features our resident BCS-buster for 2012, with the Northern Illinois Huskies.
The 2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl is going to feature two disciplined teams in the Navy Midshipmen and the Arizona State Sun Devils, but while each team is talented, they’ve also been known to show their weaknesses. This game is worth tuning into, if only to watch the ground game of the Midshipmen.
This intriguing bowl match-up features one of the most dynamic athletes college football has seen in some time (Michigan’s veteran QB/RB threat Denard Robinson) versus a downright nasty defense led by a first-team All-American in the form of South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney.
Though Northwestern narrowly missed a shot at a Big Ten title this season in a down year for the conference, the pressure will be grave for the Wildcats to win their first bowl game since 1949. Remarkably, Northwestern has lost nine consecutive bowl games since winning the ’49 Rose Bowl.
After the first half of the season Vanderbilt looked far from a bowl team sitting at 4-2, but they ended the season red-hot winning their last 6 games of the season even though they were 0-3 facing ranked teams this season.
A curious matchup as both of these teams went from sleepers to disappointments pretty quickly. Both are looking to finish the year on a positive note to set the tone for next season.
With the exception of boasting one of the country’s most electric players in WR Marqise Lee, it has been a bitterly disappointing season in Los Angeles. The vaunted Trojans limped along to a five-loss campaign, punctuated by losses to Arizona and cross-town rival UCLA.
Owls vs Falcons College Football Spread/Handicapping
Typical of early bowl matchups there is not much to get excited for in this one. I am always a big fan of the service academies as I love seeing those triple option attacks pound against opponents, there might not be much else to entertain though.
Air Force has the nation’s 2nd ranked rushing offense, but their defense has had their issues this season, especially at the end of the season when they lost 3 of their last 4 games.
