BCS Bowl Game Previews and Predictions

The 2007-08 Bowl Season is upon us, so here are my previews and predictions for all the BCS Games.

Rose Bowl, January 1
Southern California (10-2) vs Illinois (9-3)

Southern Cal is in very familiar territory by playing in Pasadena while Illinois is playing there for the first time since 1984. USC finished the regular season with a convincing win over UCLA and taking home their sixth straight Pac-10 title. Illinois' season has taken a turn for the better as well with four straight victories which included a road win against Ohio State. The Trojans have averaged over 418 yards on offense and are facing a defense that has allowed over 355 yards per game. USC has great depth at running back, and it showed in their win against UCLA with Chauncey Washington as the team's leading rusher on the season. Quarterback John David Booty has weapons with three wide receivers who had over 500 receiving yards on the season. On the flipside, Illinois' rushing attack will be heavily tested against a USC defense that is 4th in the nation against the run. Quarterback Juice Williams will have to make good decisions with the football against a very fast and aggressive USC defense that has given up only 258 yards per game. Running back Rashard Mendellhall, Illinois' leading rusher, will have a tough time finding areas to run because USC which makes Williams' play at the quarterback position the key for them.

USC notes: USC is 4-1 in BCS games under Pete Carroll. The Trojans are 22-9 lifetime in Rose Bowl games including 14-7 against the Big Ten.

Illinois notes: Illinois is 3-1 lifetime in the Rose Bowl. The Fighting Illini makes just their third bowl game appearance since 1994, and their second BCS game appearance.

All-Time head-to-head: USC leads 10-2.

Prediction: Illinois has to be able to establish the running game, and USC is just too tough to run on. USC will likely be able to move the ball in the air against Illinois, and will control the clock by keeping the Fighting Illini running game in check.

Final predicted score: USC 27, Illinois 16

Sugar Bowl, January 1
Hawaii (12-0) vs Georgia (10-2)

The undefeated Rainbows make their first ever appearance in a BCS game in the Sugar Bowl. Georgia finished the season with six straight victories, and are playing as good as anyone in the nation right now. Hawaii's Colt Brennan will have to be close to flawless in this game in order for the Rainbows to pull off the upset. The Rainbows are second in the nation in passing yards per game, and have three receivers that had over 1,000 receiving yards on the field. The Bulldogs have allowed 205 passing yards per game, but have not faced a passing offense like Hawaii. Georgia's running game has been very good during their six-game winning streak as Knowshon Moreno has taken the load off quarterback Matthew Stafford. Moreno should be able to run the ball against a Hawaii defense that has given up 137 yards per game on the ground. Stafford will have to be aware of Adam Leonard on the Rainbows defense, who has returned two interceptions for touchdowns on the season. Georgia has averaged over 30 minutes a game in time of possession while Hawaii has averaged over 27 minutes per game.

Hawaii notes: Hawaii has failed to score at least 35 points just once on the season which was 28 points to Nevada. The Rainbows are 1-3 all-time against the SEC with their last game being played in a loss to Alabama in 2006.

Georgia: Georgia is 3-0 all-time against the Western Athletic Conference with their last game played in a win against Boise State in 2005. The Bulldogs are 4-2 in bowl games under head coach Mark Richt.

All-time head-to-head: The first ever meeting between the two schools.

Prediction: Georgia's resurgent running game will be the key as they do their part in keeping the Rainbows offense on the sidelines. Hawaii's passing game will keep this game close for a while, but the running game of the Bulldogs will wear down the Rainbows late as Georgia controls the clock.

Final predicted score: Georgia 34, Hawaii 24

Fiesta Bowl, January 2
Oklahoma (11-2) vs West Virginia (10-2)

Oklahoma finished the season with a very convincing win over Missouri in the Big Twelve Championship. West Virginia comes in off a loss at home to Pittsburgh to finish the season, but still took home the Big East title. The Sooners have great depth at running back, and will try to establish the run early. Quarterback Sam Bradford is the nation's leader in passing efficiency, so the Mountaineers will have to figure out a way to slow down the Sooners. The Mountaineers have been tough to move the ball on all year, and only give up 107 yards per game on the ground. West Virginia unexpectedly struggled on offense in their season finale, and will have to have a strong game out of running back Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White to win this one. The Mountaineers are a great running team as they average close to 300 yards per game on the ground. The Sooners defense played very well against a high-powered Missouri offense in their conference championship game, but have struggled at times against the pass this year. The Sooners only give up 91 yards per game on the ground, and will have to contain White in the pocket.

Oklahoma notes: Oklahoma is 4-4 in bowl games under Bob Stoops which includes 2-3 in BCS games. The Sooners are 1-2 lifetime in the Feista Bowl with their previous appearance coming in a loss to Boise State last year.

West Virginia notes: The Mountaineers scored at least 31 points in the games they won this year, but scored just 22 points in their two losses. West Virginia makes their second Feista Bowl game appearance ever with their previous game coming in a loss to Notre Dame on January 2, 1989.

All-Time head-to-head: Oklahoma leads 2-1.

Prediction: Oklahoma will continue to use balance on offense to confuse the Mountaineers in this game. The Mountaineers will be able to run, but will have a tough time scoring in the red zone.

Final predicted score: Oklahoma 27, West Virginia 16

Orange Bowl, January 3
Virginia Tech (11-2) vs Kansas (11-1)

Virginia Tech won the ACC Championship by avenging an earlier loss in the season against Boston College. Kansas comes in off their only loss of the season to Missouri. The Hokies have improved on offense because of the play of quarterback Sean Glennon late in the season. Running back Branden Ore will be the key to Virginia Tech's hopes of winning this game as the Jayhawks will likely want to speed up the game on offense. Kansas' defense struggled in stopping the pass in their season finale as they allowed the Tigers to complete over 80 percent of their passes in that game. The Hokies defense is second in scoring in the nation, and have 21 interceptions on the season while only allowing nine passing touchdowns. Kansas will have to protect Todd Reesing in this game and be able to establish some kind of running game with Brandon McAnderson. The very aggressive Hokies secondary will have to be aware of Marcus Henry running wild on them because he is Reesing's main target.

Virginia Tech notes: The Hokies have scored 27 or more points in a game during their current five-game winning streak. Virginia Tech is playing in their 15th consecutive bowl game under Frank Beamer, which is the fourth longest current streak in Division 1-A.

Kansas notes: The Jayhawks make just their 11th appearance in a bowl game. Kansas has scored at least 28 points in all but two games during this season.

All-Time head-to-head: The first ever meeting between the two schools.

Prediction: Virginia Tech will be able to protect Glennon, and he will be able to throw it on the Jayhawks. Reesing's play will keep it close early, but the Hokies defense will be very prepared in confusing Kansas into mistakes.

Final predicted score: Virginia Tech 31, Kansas 17

BCS Championship Game
Ohio State (11-1) vs LSU (11-2)

Ohio State won the Big Ten Championship and was able to find their way back to the BCS Championship. LSU was able to beat Tennessee for the SEC title to clinch a spot in this game. The Buckeyes defense is first overall in the nation, but will be seriously tested in stopping LSU's rushing attack that has gained 218 rushing yards per game. In their only loss of the season to Illinois, OSU gave up 260 yards on the ground. LSU's backup quarterback Ryan Perrilloux played very well against Tennessee, so it will interesting to see if the Tigers go with him instead of Matt Flynn, who has struggled with consistency. The Buckeyes will rely heavily on running back Chris Wells to move the ball on offense against LSU's third ranked defense. Quarterback Todd Boeckman cannot afford to turn the ball over in this game, and he will be looking for the team's leading receiver, Brian Robiskie, in key passing situations. Boeckman has a huge arm, but has struggled at times with accuracy on the season.

Ohio State notes: The Buckeyes have allowed just 11 touchdowns on defense this year. Ohio State is 0-8 lifetime against the SEC in bowl games.

LSU notes: LSU is 4-0 against teams that are currently ranked in the BCS Top 25. The Tigers are 3-0 in BCS games since the system was implented.

All-Time head-to-head: LSU leads 1-0-1.

Prediction: LSU will be able to run the ball against a tough OSU defense much like Illinois was able to do. OSU will be able to run it with Wells, but Boeckman will be forced into mistakes too much for them to overcome as their inexperience will become a factor in the game.

Final predicted score: LSU 20, Ohio State 16

Those are my predictions on who wins the BCS games. If it happens the way I have it, college football will have a big mess to clean up with all the two-loss teams that will be left. The BCS Championship game winner will have the BCS trophy, but the Associated Press could vote it differently like it did in 2003-04 when USC won the AP poll even though LSU took home the BCS trophy. Funny how LSU is in that position again. Enjoy the bowl games as the craziest season in college football history comes to a close!

Sources: Yahoo! Sports, stassen.com, College Football Data Warehouse. rivals.com