Armed Forces Bowl Pairs Houston and Air Force

The Houston Cougars looked like potential BCS Bowl busters after winning their first three gems of the seasons. The second win was at No. 2 Oklahoma State, while the third win was at home against Texas Tech. The Cougars would lose three games the rest of the way, giving them no chance at a BCS Bowl, and taking them out of the BCS and AP polls. However, the team won ten games, and a victory in the Armed Forces Bowl would give them an impressive 11-win season. The Cougars have arguably the best quarterback in the nation in junior Case Keenum. Keenum threw for 5,449 yards, while tossing 43 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He completed an incredible 71% of his passes. Keenum didn't come out of nowhere this year, though. Last year, he threw for 5,020 yards, with 44 touchdowns and 11 picks. He completed 67.4% of his passes. Keenum isn't referred to as the best quarterback in the nation, because he plays in Conference USA. But, his numbers speak for themselves. And for those who want to say that his numbers are great because he plays in Conference USA, he had good games against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. Keenum led a consistent offense that scored 29 or more points in every game this year.

The Air Force Falcons attempted just 139 passes this year. They threw for only 988 yards and eight touchdowns. The Falcons ran the football 743 times for 3,283 yards, scoring 26 touchdowns on the ground. Amazingly, junior running back Jared Tew led the team in carries with only 212. Seven players carried the football 40 times or more. The Falcons went 7-5 in the strong Mountain West Conference. They lost to TCU, currently ranked third in the AP poll, by just three points. The Falcons lost at 18^th ranked Utah in overtime. Those two games showed that they could play with the nation's best teams.

Houston is currently outside the BCS and AP polls, but is still a good team. Air Force will have to play very well if they are to win the Armed Forces Bowl.

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